Dragon-Verse Future Adventure: The Onyx Empress
by milady dragon
Summary: A fantastic discovery in China will change the Jones Clan forever...especially one member, whose life will be disrupted in the most wonderful of ways. Takes place after "Vengeance".
1. Chapter 1

The Onyx Empress - Chapter One  


Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: Not mine, darn it.

Author's Note: Here is the next story in the Future Adventures, and it takes place 117 years after "Vengeance". There are certain things mentioned in this that have happened in the meantime, so I suppose you could say they were spoilers for the Dragon-Verse, but I don't know if I'll ever write about them so...I guess technically they aren't spoilers. (One is. I have plans. I'm not saying which one, though)

Also, there's some dubious bits of Chinese history in this. I've done a lot of research with that and the language, but any mistakes are mine (And Google's).

This story is also considerably more fluffy than the last several stories, too. And shorter.

* * *

 ** _10 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Ddraig Llyn_**

"Tad!" Dylan's voice shouted, interrupting Ianto as he was putting together the syllabus for the classes he was scheduled to head up next term at Merlin's Magic School, where he'd been invited to teach classes on Dragon History; he'd flat-out refused to go back to Luna University, after the way they'd treated Henry and Rowena during that mess with HYDRA, even though that regime had passed on now and he'd received assurances that such a thing could never happen again. It wasn't that he didn't trust them…but this was Merlin, and he was family. Besides, Merlin had asked first.

Ianto sighed, standing up from his desk in the office he and Jack shared. The twins were always into _something_ , having inherited their Dad's trouble magnet gene, and he just knew this was the precursor of a problem he was going to have to unravel. "Coming," he called, wanting to stop his son from coming to find him, which Dylan would do if he hesitated too long.

The house was silent for the most part. Ianto made his way down the hallway toward the source of his son's current ruckus, which sounded as if he was loudly discussing something with his twin sister. The thing was, when Dylan and Dilys put their heads together, they could be a force to be reckoned with, despite only being seventeen years old. However, when they butted heads – which was what sounded like was going on now – the chaos just…happened. He couldn't recall Rowena and Cadi being quite so argumentative when they were this young.

It was at times like this he wished Jack hadn't talked him into carrying the next round of children.

No, he really didn't wish that. Also, it _had_ been his turn.

Just as he was entering the lounge, he heard another voice join in…it was Gray, who seemed to be attempting to play peacekeeper between the twins. Ever since he'd come back into their lives fifteen years ago, healed of his psychosis by the Fae, Gray had done everything in his power to make up for his past actions, and had taken to being an uncle with a fearsome overprotectiveness that sometimes had Ianto shaking his head in amusement, and enjoying the various members of the family that Gray focussed on complain about being coddled.

The twins were standing near the entrance to the dining room, Gray between them. Dylan looked angry; Dilys smug, and the dragon knew immediately that some sort of practical joke had been involved. Of the two, Dilys was the prankster, and when she was in that sort of mood she would usually take it out on her brother, unless a better target was available.

Gray noticed Ianto first; he looked chagrined. "Sorry, Ianto. I was hoping to get these two calmed down before they dragged you away from your work."

"It's fine, Gray," he reassured his brother-by-mating. "I needed a break anyway." He crossed his arms, staring his wayward twins down. "And just what have you done now, Dilys?"

"Why is it always my fault?" Dilys pulled a pout that would have done her other father proud.

Dylan and Dilys weren't _technically_ identical twins, not like their aunts were, but they looked so much alike they may as well have been. Jack kept saying that they more closely resembled Ianto than himself, and the dragon could certainly see it. For one, they lacked the distinctive dimple and jawline of their immortal Dad; for another, they had Ianto's nose. However, that didn't stop them from being able to pull off many of Jack's mannerisms, even down to their love of long, distinctive, coats.

Both twins had dark, curly hair, which they kept cut short in the exact same style. They were almost the same height; Dylan was taller by about two inches, but Dilys often wore heels that evened that out. In fact, they both tried very hard to play up their "twin-ness", even down to wearing the same style clothing. It was only the fact that they were different genders that people were able to tell them apart.

When they were little, though, it had only been their dragon forms that had given them away. They were like negatives, like Nathan and Nicole, only Dylan was gold and green, and Dilys was green and gold, and they had wings instead of the impressive antlers their twin cousins had.

Merlin was on the lookout for any sort of magical talent in both of them, but so far they were stubbornly blowing his theory out of the water about members of their family being magical if their dragons forms had gold in them anywhere. But then, Robyn had done the same thing herself, being completely gold and not having a whit of magical talent in her.

Besides, Ianto could imagine just how much more trouble the pair would get into if they _did_ have magic, and he kept praying to the Great Dragons that they didn't develop any sort of powers _at all_.

Ianto didn't answer her question, because the last thing he wanted to do was to let his daughter in on the fact that she had certain tells that gave the game away. Instead, he simply raised an eyebrow at her, knowing that his slightly disapproving face would do the trick to get her to confess.

And yes, it did the same in this circumstance, as well, judging from the way Dilys' shoulders slumped.

"Put the Eyebrow away, Tad," she grumbled. "It's worse than Phillip's, and you know I can't handle his at all. I have absolutely no chance against _yours_."

"So, you want to explain to me why your brother is all up in arms?"

"Not really." Her face went mulish.

Ianto sighed, turning his eyes to Dylan. "Well? Do you want to tell me what your sister obviously won't?"

Dylan looked triumphant over the fact that he could get his sister into trouble, which was usually the way this sort of thing worked. "She changed out the sugar for salt, so when I put some in coffee it tasted awful."

A harmless prank, but Ianto had long ago taught all of children not to mess with coffee, so he gave Dilys a glare. "You know better than that, young lady."

"He shouldn't be drinking coffee anyway!" she exclaimed hotly. "You told us we couldn't have any until we turned eighteen, and that's not until August!"

"She does have a point, Dylan," Ianto commented calmly. He'd made it plain that any child of his couldn't have coffee until they turned eighteen, mainly because in his opinion they couldn't appreciate it while they were any younger, and used the excuse that it stunted their growth in order to get them to comply, although they all knew it wasn't true. Besides, he'd learned the hard way that a teenager wired up on caffeine was just asking for all sorts of trouble, and with these two it would mean the chances for that sort of thing going up exponentially.

"That…may have been my fault," Gray admitted quietly. "I was in the middle of writing the next chapter of my novel, and asked Dylan if he'd get me a coffee. I should have expected him to take a sip." His eyes narrowed at Dilys. "Although, this means the salt was meant for me."

Gray had come back from the Lost Lands, and had decided to write a book about his adventures there under the guise of young adult fiction. It had been a bestseller, and he was currently working on his sixth novel. Ianto hadn't been so sure it had been a good idea to expose the rest of the universe to the Fae, but Gray had pointed out that the majority of people who read it wouldn't believe it, anyway, especially if he made certain that everyone knew it was a work of fantasy. The dragon couldn't argue with the fact that writing seemed to settle Gray back into his life back in the real world, and so had been as encouraging as he could.

"I knew Dylan wouldn't be able to resist," Dilys spoke up for herself, "and that he'd take at least one sip, Uncle Gray. He'd be the one to find the salt, and not you."

"And," Ianto smirked, "if he didn't, he'd get blamed for it."

Dilys rolled his eyes, as close to an admission as she could get without saying a single word.

There were times when he wished his twins would just calm the _fuck_ down…

The distinctive chime of the comm system interrupted the lecture Ianto was about to give his youngest daughter.

"Saved by the bell," Dylan teased.

"Not hardly," Ianto growled, as he made his way over to the vidscreen's controls. He had no idea who would be calling; it could have been any of their children or grandchildren, really, since he and Jack – along with Gray and the twins – were the only clan residents in Ddraig Llyn at the moment. Jack had volunteered over at the co-operative with the new shipment of goods that had come in that morning, since he'd finished up the reports last night he'd promised Phillip. Jack usually hated doing paperwork, and would try to put it off, but for some reason the immortal had decided to get it all out of the way immediately. Ianto would have to ask his son-by-mating just how he'd managed to convince Jack to get it finished this quickly, without being able to withhold either coffee _or_ sex… or ask Ianto to do so on his behalf.

He activated the comm, and smiled as he saw Merlin on the screen. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise," he greeted his grandson-by-mating.

Merlin was on New Avalon, at the Magic School, where he, himself, was preparing for the new term. He had a lot more to do than Ianto had, and now that Rhys had passed away it was all back on Merlin once more to run the entire school. He'd hired someone to help, but despite their qualifications they didn't seem to understand the logistics of just how such a campus was organised, and Merlin was about to pull out his hair in frustration. Ianto knew that Merlin was sincerely hoping that Rhys would hurry up and reincarnate, because he _really_ needed the help.

 _"_ _You say that now,"_ Merlin commented, sounding just a little breathless. _"Just wait until I tell you what just happened."_

Ianto cocked his head, curiosity getting the better of him. "Do tell."

 _"_ _I just received a call from the Chinese Historical Restoration Office."_

The dragon was aware of that particular office, although probably not as well as he could have been. Now that Earth had one government, there weren't any sort of country barriers any longer, but that didn't mean that all the original countries didn't have some sort of pride in their own heritage. China had just had a major surge in that sort of cultural and societal pride, and from what Ianto had heard from Henry – who kept up with that sort of thing – and in some of the newscasts he enjoyed watching, the regional Chinese Council had decided to restore several of their greatest historical monuments. They'd put together a new office for it, and had applied for funds from EarthGov…which had been gladly provided.

He was confused. "And why would they be calling you, Merlin?" Despite being one world now, the Chinese had always been a bit insular and tended to handle things that occurred in their own region without asking for aid.

His grandson-by-mating's eyes were sparkling in excitement. _"One of their teams was doing some work along remnants of the Great Wall, specifically the area around Badaling, in the Yanshen Range. There'd been an earthquake in that region about six months ago, and they were concerned that that section of the Wall had been damaged."_

That made sense. Ianto knew just how important the Great Wall was to Chinese culture, and there wasn't all that much left standing. They wouldn't want any more to disintegrate, if they could possibly help it.

Still, he did continue to wonder why they'd contacted Merlin, but he didn't ask. Merlin would get to it in his own time.

 _"_ _When they went up to that section of the Wall, the team noticed a cave entrance that hadn't been there previously. Since they were afraid its presence under the Wall would destabilise the structure more than it already was, they decided to check it out. Apparently, they found an enormous cavern…but couldn't enter it, because it was protected by a magical barrier that repelled one of the survey team members away so hard he broke an arm when he landed."_

From behind him, Ianto heard Gray whistle. "I can see why they called you, then." The dragon thought that showed good sense, since Merlin was the most powerful wizard in the universe; he would be the one to be able to take down a barrier like that. "But why are you calling me?"

Merlin grinned. _"I was hoping you'd ask that, Grandtad. It's because of this."_ The wizard touched a control on the desk in front of him, and the screen split, revealing a photograph that was very clear for having been taken within a dark cavern.

Ianto felt as if his heart stopped, and then restarted with such a painful thump he gasped for breath.

"How…" he swallowed hard, "is this legitimate?"

 _"_ _It is."_ Merlin was now practically bouncing in his chair, his excitement reminding the dragon of the wizard's father, the Doctor.

"It…it's impossible…"

It was a dragon.

Recognisably a Chinese dragon, it was curled up, eyes closed as if it were sleeping peacefully, snout resting on crossed forelegs. Its scales were a deep crimson, a shade darker than Arthur's, with a jet-black mane of long hair around its face and down its back and another, even longer, tuft at the end of its tail. The enormous rack of antlers was also black, but there was a flared ruff of golden scales edging up against the black hair; from the brightness along the chest Ianto thought there was gold along the red chest plates as well as along its talons.

If he had to judge just from the still photo, Ianto would have guessed it was only about three hundred years old…about Nathan and Nicole's age, in point of fact.

He could make out Dylan and Dilys beginning to chatter animatedly in the background, and a hand landed on Ianto's shoulder and he knew, without looking, that it was Gray. If someone would have told him that Jack's brother would have ever attempted to comfort him before the Fae had returned him, Ianto would have laughed in their faces. Now, though, he leaned into it a little, glad of the support.

"Do they know…is it some sort of sculpture?" Ianto had to _ask_ , although he knew what he _wished_ it to be.

 _"_ _It's almost too detailed to be anything like that, according to the report I was given. No, Grandtad…this is very real. Now, whether it's alive and under some sort of spell, or is long dead and has just been really well preserved…I don't know that, and that could be why there's such powerful magic around the cavern entrance. I've been asked to come and see what I can do to unravel the spells, and I thought…well, I thought you'd want to come with me. You and Granddad Jack, since I'm thinking we could talk him into piloting the family shuttle down from Alpha Station, since there isn't a transmat near the site, and then I can just transmat to the orbital platform and meet you both there."_

That was a good suggestion. It would actually be faster to come down from orbit than it would travelling there directly, and Jack would be perfectly capable of piloting the shuttle they kept up there for family use.

The thrill of excitement – and sheer _hope_ – thrummed through Ianto's nerves as he looked at the image that was sharing the screen with his grandson. Yes, there was only a very slim chance that the dragon had somehow survived over the millennia, but he had to know. And, if it hadn't, then it deserved to be given a proper ceremony and mourned. To have died alone, under the Earth…it was sad, and Ianto wasn't about to give into that sadness, not yet.

No, he had to see just what it was in that cavern.

"I'll stay here with the trouble twins," Gray volunteered, without Ianto having to say a thing. Both children protested that, but there was no way they were being left to their own devices. There was a reason Gray had named them the way he had. "You need to go and see what's there, Ianto. You and Jack."

"Uncle Gray is right, Tad," Dylan chimed in. "If there's another dragon out there, even if it's not…alive, anymore…"

"You need to bring them home," Dilys finished.

"This wouldn't be their home, though," Ianto pointed out.

"But we're it, the clan," Gray added. "Even if that dragon was born in China, that doesn't negate the fact that we're their _people_."

There was a part of Ianto that was so very gratified that Gray had accepted his place within the clan, that he wanted to reach out and hug him, and so he did. He'd despaired of ever meeting the brother that Jack had spoken of, the one that had existed before the maniac that had attempted to kill them all back when they'd had their old team, so having Gray back like this was a minor miracle as far as the dragon was concerned.

He was so very glad that Samara had lived to see her younger son returned to them. Her gamble with trusting the Fae and their debt to himself and Jack had paid off.

One thing about Gray, he always enjoyed a good hug, and was more than willing to return it. "You go and bring them _home_ , Ianto," his brother-by-mating encouraged softly. Then he pulled away. "I'm going to go and fetch Jack while you pack. Then you both need to transmat up to Alpha Station and meet Merlin…whom I'm quite sure hasn't bothered letting his mate know what's going on yet."

 _"_ _Uncle Gray's right,"_ Merlin admitted grudgingly. _"I'll need time to pack a bag of my own, and to let Arthur know I'll be leaving. I've already started to make arrangements for my absence from the school, but I seriously doubt I'll miss any of the beginning of term."_

"I take it clearance has been arranged for us to land near the site?" It wouldn't do for them to make anyone mad at their shuttle landing unexpectedly.

 _"_ _I have. We're going to be met by the head of the Restoration team, a Doctor Shen Huiliang. He's the one who contacted me. I told him it would be a couple of hours before we could get there."_

Ianto nodded. "That will give me plenty of time to pack things for Jack and myself. We'll meet you at the family shuttle bay in two hours."

 _"_ _I'll be there."_ With that, Merlin disconnected the call.

Ianto sighed heavily, the excitement at what they might find making him want to fidget. He kept control of himself, addressing Gray, "Please, go and let Jack know."

"You got it." With a squeeze of Ianto's shoulder, Gray was gone, out the door and heading toward the co-op where Jack was working.

"And, you two…you need to stop with the shenanigans for a bit. Your uncle is doing you a favour by staying here, and the pair of you playing tricks on him isn't going to help matters."

To their credit, the twins both appeared contrite. They also looked extremely excited, and Ianto couldn't blame them for it. He felt the same way. "We'll take it easy on Uncle Gray," Dylan promised.

Dilys echoed the promise. "How long do you think you and Dad will be gone?" she asked.

"I have no idea. It depends on what we find. If we're gone too long, you can go and stay with Phillip and Clint on Hubworld if you want." He would need to call and let them know as well, but the dragon hesitated to spread the word around the entire family; his own hopes could be dashed, and the last thing he wanted to do was take the hopes of the clan down with them.

"I'm sure we'll be fine," his son assured him.

"You'll need to tell the Great Dragons," Dilys said. "And ask them why they didn't know there was another dragon out there."

"I'm fairly certain the magic that they called to consult Merlin about is the reason, but I do still need to let them know." The Great Dragons had gotten only more powerful as time went on, but they still were somewhat limited in where they could go.

Although, Ianto hoped that their plan would succeed, and they would all be moving to a new world soon…

However, that was in the future. In that moment, he had things to get ready.

There was a mystery to solve. Ianto was looking forward to it very much.


	2. Chapter 2

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Two  


Author: Milady Dragon

Author's note: Another warning about the dubiousness of some of the Chinese history in this story. I did research extensively, but that's no guarantee I got it right.

* * *

 ** _10 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

Merlin watched over his Granddad Jack's shoulder as the immortal expertly brought the family shuttle in for a landing on a clear patch of ground. There were mountains looming just beyond, and the Great Wall was visible, arcing over the rise of the mountain ahead, and he couldn't help but lose his breath at the sheer _majesty_ of the thing.

He hadn't been able to do any sort of research as he'd gotten ready to leave, since Arthur had been watching him stonily, face carefully blank in that way that just communicated how unhappy he was that Merlin was going somewhere without him. The wizard knew that his mate normally wasn't a hoverer like that; they'd spent plenty of time separately, but Arthur had expressed his own interest at seeing whatever had been discovered in China, and he wasn't best pleased that Merlin had denied him, even though he'd understood Merlin's reasoning behind that refusal.

Arthur being six months pregnant – and a week away from needing to take on his dragon form for the rest of his pregnancy – was a very good reason indeed to stay on New Avalon.

He was hoping for some more information on the Great Wall from the researchers on site, because Merlin's education on this part of the world was sorely lacking. Of course, he'd known that Grandtad Ianto had done his fair share, back when he'd been trying to search out other dragons, but that knowledge would have been woefully out of date. Merlin was intensely curious as to how a dragon had been hidden here for so long, but if his own curiosity was gnawing at him, he could only imagine how Grandtad Ianto was feeling.

The shuttle landed with nary a bump, and the three of them were unbuckling as soon as Granddad Jack had the engines shutting down. Through the cockpit window Merlin could make out a figure approaching; this would have most likely been Doctor Shen, the Restoration Specialist assigned to the Wall Reclamation Project.

There was someone else with him, but the wizard could only make out that it was a woman.

"Hey," Granddad Jack said, touching Grandtad Ianto on the shoulder as the dragon climbed out of his seat, "take a breath, okay?"

Merlin could tell just how nervous Grandtad Ianto was by the slight trembling in his hands as he'd unhooked the flight restraints. "I know, it's just…" his voice faded out, but then he really didn't need to say it out loud.

"I understand. But we don't know anything yet."

Grandtad Ianto breathed in deeply. "You're right." He gave Granddad Jack a small smile. "Let's go and find out things, shall we?"

The echoing smile from Granddad Jack was a little wider, but no less sincere. "We shall."

It was at moments like this that Merlin truly understood what it meant to spend an eternity with someone. He could only hope that he and Arthur would be the same as their grandparents, after as many centuries as mates.

Together, the three of them left the shuttle cockpit and made their way to the now-open rear ramp, Grandtad Ianto grabbing the rucksack he'd brought with him. The wind howled a little around them, whipping Granddad Jack's greatcoat around his legs and blowing Merlin's hair into his eyes. It wasn't overly cold, however, so Merlin felt perfectly fine without his own coat.

They waited for the pair coming toward them to approach. When they got close enough, Merlin easily recognised Doctor Shen Huiliang from the call he'd received; a man somewhere in his fifties, hair still dark and body in excellent shape. He was dressed in climbing gear and sturdy denims, boots, and a linen jacket, all in muted blues and greys. He was shorter than his companion, an older woman with a single streak of bright red in her short, black hair; she was also dressed in clothing that wouldn't damage too easily if she was rough in them.

"Good day," the man greeted them. He was smiling excitedly; his companion simply looked as if she'd sucked on something really sour.

"Doctor Shen," Merlin said in return, holding out his hand. "Thank you for calling."

"It was my pleasure, Master Merlin." His Standard was slightly accented. "I am glad that you have chosen to answer so quickly."

"Let me introduce you to my grandparents…Captain Jack Harkness and Professor Ianto Jones." Granddad Jack had chosen to give up the Director title, at least for a time; as had Grandtad Ianto done with the eponymous Second, both deciding that it wasn't fair to the ones who were actually carrying those titles around now.

Doctor Shen, if possible, became even more excited. "It's a genuine pleasure to meet you, Professor Jones! I thoroughly enjoyed your treatise on the Lost Clan of the Quetzalin." He held out his hand as well.

Grandtad Ianto accepted the grasp, obviously pleased with the comment. Merlin easily recalled that paper, as well as the archaeological expedition that had gone along with it. Of course, all the interesting stuff that had happened on Hollis Beta hadn't been included in the treatise…but then, getting Merlin's Dad involved in anything was always asking for trouble to come calling.

"Thank you, Dr Shen," the dragon said sincerely. "Not many people have actually read it."

"It was fascinating! Especially the idea that aliens had actually taken an entire clan of dragons from Earth and transplanted them onto another world! The work you've done on educating the universe on dragon culture has been exemplary, which is why I was pleased when Master Merlin requested that he be allowed to contact you on this."

Grandtad Ianto had a very pleased expression on his face, and Merlin realised that, while Shen's effusiveness was a little embarrassing, it was doing the job of settling the dragon's nerves. The wizard was silently grateful.

Granddad Jack also accepted the handshake, but he didn't flirt as he was wont to do, instead simply greeting the scientist warmly. Merlin figured it was because this was something important to Ianto, and that Jack would treat it as such. The wizard appreciated it, even as his Grandtad was giving his mate a rather pointed look that was very obvious Ianto-speak for, _Who are you and what have you done with Jack Harkness?_

Granddad Jack simply smirked, which was Jack-speak for, _I can control myself._

Merlin had to wonder just when it had become so easy for him to read his grandparents' expressions so well. And how long it would be before they decided to change things up, so they would be all mysterious again to the rest of the family.

The woman cleared her throat rather pointedly, and Shen started out of his patent hero worship. "Oh! Pardon me for being so rude." He turned to her. "This is Professor Kong Chen Li, she's the Lead Archaeologist on site here."

Grandtad Ianto nodded in greeting. "Professor Kong…it's a pleasure. I believe my daughter, Professor Rowena Jones-Morgan, has mentioned you to me."

That comment seemed to thaw the archaeologist a little. "I am familiar with Professor Jones-Morgan's work, as well as that of her mate's, so to be spoken of by her is an honour." She bowed formally, and Ianto copied it, as did Granddad Jack. Merlin followed suit.

"The professor isn't overly pleased with me," Dr Shen admitted. "I called Master Merlin before consulting her, and she hasn't been shy about showing her displeasure."

"I simply pointed out," Professor Kong explained, "that we have our own wizards, and that we should be speaking with them before bringing in outsiders."

Merlin nodded. "I can understand that," he sympathised. China, while a part of the United Earth, was still known to be somewhat insular. In fact, he'd been a bit surprised by the call at first. "It's hard to have interlopers come in and stomp all over a person's hard work."

She seemed a bit surprised by Merlin's commiseration. "Indeed, Master Merlin. Although, if I had known that you'd be bringing along the foremost dragon expert in the Empire, I might have been a little easier on Dr Shen."

"He didn't tell you we were coming?" Granddad Jack asked in surprise.

"Well, to be fair…I didn't really give him much of a chance."

Merlin's Granddad laughed at that, but it wasn't condescending. "I do the same thing sometimes. It's much easier to put one's foot it in than simply listening."

Grandtad Ianto rolled his eyes at his mate.

"Perhaps you wouldn't mind giving us a bit of history on the Great Wall as we're heading toward the cavern in question?" Merlin enquired politely.

That seemed to thaw Kong even more. "I shall be more than happy to. Shall we go?"

Doctor Shen led the way. The path up toward the section of wall Merlin could see was small but fairly well trodden, clear of any stones and debris that might have tripped them up. This area of China was wild and unrestrained by the rampant building projects that had taken over the planet in the three thousands. Much of the Earth was now being reclaimed, but it seemed as if the overpopulation hadn't stretched this far. While he didn't understand it, Merlin was glad of it, and made a mental note to ask about it later.

"The Great Wall, or _Wan-li Ch'ang-Ch'eng_ as it was known in ancient Chinese, was started around 770 BCE, Old Earth Date," Kong began, "but this section of wall wasn't constructed until the Ming Dynasty, and completed in 1505 AD, under the Hongzhi Emperor. It was built here in order to protect the capitol, Beijing, from Mongol invaders…not that it was particularly effective in the end."

Merlin took a deep breath. He could practically _smell_ the history of the place. Being part Time Lord, he could feel time tingling on his skin, and a part of him was tempted to try and surf the timelines back to the era when the Wall was being constructed, to see just how the Chinese had accomplished such an amazing feat. He didn't do it, understanding the dangers of such a thing, but he was certainly curious about it.

"Do you know anything of the dragons that were here at the time?" Grandtad Ianto enquired politely. "I'll be honest…much of what I've been able to research says that dragons lasted much longer in China than anywhere else, but nothing much else beyond that."

Merlin was aware that his Grandtad knew very well what had happened to the Chinese dragons, but was making conversation, in an attempt to put both of their guides more at ease. It was a known fact that Ianto Jones knew pretty much everything…or, he gave the very good impression that he did, especially when it came to dragon culture.

"We know that Mongol invaders thought that any and all dragons were valid targets," Shen answered. "We had dragons up to about 1449 AD, and after that they were murdered as soon as they were discovered by the invaders. The Mongols believed if they killed them, then China would fall without their protection, which it came close to doing. After that, the arrivals of Europeans in the 1500's pretty much finished off the ones remaining, in the name of the Christian God."

It was unbelievably sad, that humans had targeted dragons for extinction, over such petty reasons as pre-emptive strikes against enemies and religious causes. Merlin sometimes despaired of the human race, even though they were so much better now. Today, no one in their right minds would even contemplate the genocide of another people for any reason whatsoever.

There were exceptions, of course. But they were few and far between, and easier to stop.

A small burst of song escaped Grandtad Ianto, and Merlin recognised it as a snatch of the Song of Mourning. It floated on the wind and toward the mountains, lost to the echoing emptiness of the land around them, but not before everyone else noticed.

Professor Kong's face went a little sad, no doubt in reaction to the tone of the song. Doctor Shen was startled by the sound, his dark eyes darting to Ianto curiously. "I'm sorry if I offend," he said, "but may I ask…?"

"I'm not at all offended, Doctor. You are aware that dragons speak in song?" Grandtad Ianto answered quietly. The scientist nodded. "I was simply mourning the loss of the dragons, that's all."

Shen nodded, his expression going sombre. "Of course. I thank you for that courtesy."

The dragon Patriarch inclined his head, acknowledging the doctor's words.

They were heading up into the mountains now, and the Wall was getting closer. As they neared it, Merlin could make out that, as impressive as it had seemed at a distance, time and the climate had taken its toll on the construction. Chunks of stone were missing, and parts of the Wall had collapsed in on itself. It was going to be quite a job putting it all back together.

People were swarming over one section, standing on scaffolding and antigravs on the sections of the upper parapets that were still intact. The unmistakable sound of tools on stone pounded out over the wind, and even from their distance Merlin could make out someone laughing.

"What can you tell us about your discovery?" Granddad Jack asked politely into the silence that had fallen.

Kong seemed to visibly shake herself out of the funk she'd appeared to descend into. "There was a fairly strong earthquake in the area of Old Beijing six standard months ago. It caused damage to several historical buildings, including the Forbidden City. Satellite imagery revealed that this particular section of the Great Wall had also been damaged, so our Restoration Team was sent up here to perform a survey to see what could be done to repair things. They arrived five days ago."

Shen took up the story. "I came up here with an advance party, to assess the Wall. We found…" he gestured toward the workers who were swarming the Wall, "that. However, one of the crews that was working on the _Bei Men Suo Tao_ Town area stumbled onto a cave that had previously not been visible. Afraid that its presence might destabilise the Wall more than it already was, myself and another of the Restoration Team decided to explore it. What we discovered…" The awe and reverence on his face was evident.

"How is your teammate?" Merlin knew that the man had been thrown away from the cavern by a magical forcefield of some sort, but Doctor Shen hadn't been forthcoming about his condition.

"Thank you for asking. He has a severe concussion, and a broken arm. It could have been so much very worse."

Merlin didn't doubt that. The sort of magic that Doctor Shen had explained to him when he'd called for help had made it plain that, whoever had laid the enchantment over the cavern, had been extremely powerful. They would have had to have been, if the magic hadn't faded away during the dark times before magic had come back into the universe. They'd lost so many of the magical places, so it was a miracle that this one had survived.

"Professor Kong is correct; I should have waited to call. However, my zeal in discovering what was actually in the cavern and concern for my teammate motivated me."

"I cannot blame you for it, really," Kong replied. "You went for the person who was most knowledgeable in magic. And Master Merlin brought with him the foremost authority on dragons in the Empire. So, perhaps it has turned out for the best."

Merlin was glad she was looking at it that way. The last thing he wanted was to step on anyone's toes, especially a country that was still known for its isolationism. Yes, the Chinese people had adopted Galactic Standard as their primary language, but that didn't mean they were at all conducive to stepping onto the galactic stage. It used to not be that way, but the wave of cultural pride had caused them to turn inward, eschewing the greater universe for their own country and traditions.

To be honest, the wizard was surprised they hadn't taken the same route as their Japanese neighbours and found their own planet. He supposed it would have been very hard to move their historical monuments to some other world, although the Japanese had managed it themselves.

Much like the Jones Clan was having with their own move to the planet that former Empress Danielle had promised them. Still, it looked as if _that_ particular dream might be becoming a reality very soon.

"Have you been able to determine anything else about the…dragon?" There was a slight hitch in his Grandtad Ianto's voice, but Merlin figured that only him and Granddad Jack would have caught it.

"We managed to get better lighting into the cavern, even though we're not able to gain access," Shen answered. "We still do not know if this is a true dragon, or some sort of highly detailed statue, but we have seen where it was buried with what appears to be a hoard."

"If that is a sculpture of some sort," Merlin commented, "then whoever was responsible went with almost too much realism." Not that he actually believed that, but there was no real telling what they were going to find.

Kong was nodding. "We have images of the items, and I have been able get high enough resolution on some to date them to the Ming Dynasty, which means it was buried at the same time the Wall was constructed. I do not think it's coincidence."

"If there's one thing I've learned," Granddad Jack said dryly, "is that there really isn't any such thing as a coincidence."

"Indeed, Captain Harkness." The professor glanced at him approvingly.

"I'd love to see these images, if I may," Grandtad Ianto requested.

"Of course. They're at our basecamp, which is just up the path another few minutes."

Kong seemed to have accepted their presence, despite her being irritated at not being consulted before Doctor Shen had contacted Merlin. The wizard was grateful; it would have been difficult working with them if the archaeologist was still harbouring some sort of grudge.

The basecamp took them sixteen minutes to reach. It was three tents set around a canopied area, with collapsible tables underneath. There were two others under the canopy, and they both looked up as they approached. Merlin though they were most likely students; both were young, a male and female, both Chinese, wearing what the wizard knew was standard student clothing: denims, button-downs, and worn boots. The woman had on a long denim jacket with more pockets than what was usual, and the man was in shirtsleeves. A silver bangle was around the man's bare right wrist.

"These are my assistants," Kong introduced. "Wang Xiaofei," she indicated the young woman, "and Liao Tingfeng," gesturing toward the man…more like boy, now that Merlin had gotten a closer look. Most likely some sort of prodigy, if he was that young and on this expedition.

In turn, she provided the introductions of Merlin and his grandparents. The young woman's eyes widened almost comically, and she began babbling about what an honour it was to meet such dignified personages and how she wasn't worthy. It was quite cute in a way.

The boy, though, didn't look at all happy, but he returned their greetings politely if a little coldly.

Merlin vaguely wondered what had crawled up his arse and died.

The professor reached over the flimsies and tablet computers toward the cube that took up the centre of the table. Merlin recognised it immediately: it was a holocube, and the professor clicked the 'on' button and then tugged over the tiny control board to her. A blue field flared to life over the cube. "As I said," she began, pulling up the first of the images, "I was able to date some of the artefacts through indirect observation." A delicate-appearing vase faded into view, sharpening immediately. Merlin found himself leaning a little closer, in order to make out the fine coloured patterns on the elegant ceramic piece.

Unsurprisingly, it was a dragon motif.

The dragon was red, surrounded by bright blue birds and abstract squiggles; it had a lid that seemed to fit perfectly. Even in the hologram – and even though Merlin certainly wasn't an expert – he could see that the vase had been intricately designed.

"The _blanc de chine_ method is a hallmark of the Ming Dynasty," Kong went on, and Merlin was a little startled that she wasn't using some sort of Chinese term for it. Perhaps there wasn't one, or perhaps she was using a more widely known phrase. "It refers to the milky whiteness of the porcelain and the fine blue of the artwork, as well as the glaze used. This," she indicated the image, "is a pattern that we have not previously seen."

"It's beautiful," Grandtad Ianto breathed. He was also leaning toward the image, eyes tracing its form. "I can imagine a Chinese dragon having such a thing in their hoard."

"Is it true that dragons hoard different things?" Shen asked.

"It is. I, myself, like to hoard books and jewellery. I have a daughter who enjoys antique furniture, and another child who is enamoured of musical instruments." Merlin noticed that he didn't mention the Torchwood Archives, which Grandtad Ianto certainly considered yet another hoard. In fact, the Archives on Hubworld had pretty much always been called The Hoard for that reason.

"Would that be Morgan Jones?" Xiaofei butted in, curiosity practically oozing from her every pore.

Grandtad Ianto gave her a pleased smile. "I take it you're a fan?"

Xiaofei nodded vigorously. "Although I understand Starshine is going to be taking a hiatus?" She sounded disappointed.

"She is, in order to spend more time with the family."

What Grandtad Ianto wasn't saying was that Morgan had decided she wanted to hatch one of the many dragon eggs that Merlin's Mum had gone on a scavenger hunt for and was settling down in order to raise a child. Morgan was going to be out touring for another year, in order to close out her current commitments, then she was going to come back to Ddraig Llyn and choose her egg.

Then, if things go according to plan, Morgan's child would be one of many growing up on their new world.

"There are many more examples of fine pottery in the hoard," Kong said. "There is also jade, gemstones, cloisonné, and this." She manipulated the control, bringing another image up onto the holocube.

Above the cube, a round object appeared.

Granddad Jack frowned. "Is that…?"

"A black pearl," the professor answered.

"How can it be so large?" Merlin's Granddad asked.

From what Merlin could tell by the surrounding objects, the pearl was approximately the size of a football, and perfectly round. Its surface gleamed under the light that was being shown on it, the colour almost like jet.

"We do not know," Shen admitted. "We would normally assume it was cultured over decades to get that large; however, pearl culturing didn't come into fashion until much later than the Ming Dynasty, and certainly not in China."

"Unless your ancestors were doing things you weren't aware of," Grandtad Ianto suggested mildly.

"Or yours, Professor Jones," Kong pointed out.

"That wouldn't surprise me," the dragon agreed gracefully.

"I want to see the oyster that thing came out of," Merlin snarked.

"Most Imperial dragons are shown in arts from the period carrying large pearls," Tingfeng added. "This is most likely confirmation that this practice was a true one, and not artistic license." His voice was warming a little, and Merlin guessed that he was upset about the interlopers, as Professor Kong had been.

"Professor Jones," Shen said, "I understand that dragons often make nests for themselves with various sorts of blankets and pillows?"

Grandtad Ianto nodded. "You're correct, Doctor."

"Then this will certainly be of interest."

The hologram zoomed out a little, and Merlin watched as his Grandtad leaned forward a little to see what the doctor was showing them.

There was a regular nest around the figure of the sleeping dragon.

"That…seems to be going a bit far if it's only some sort of representation of a dragon," Granddad Jack pointed out.

"Jack's not wrong," Grandtad Ianto murmured. His hand reached out toward the hologram, as if he could somehow touch the dragon that lay within the cavern, and not in front of them. "A hoard… and then a regular nest…someone was either intimately familiar with dragon culture, or something else if going on here."

"This is…amazing," Merlin commented softly. He glanced over at Kong, and then Shen. "Is it possible to get a closer look at the magic keeping everyone out?" He really wanted to know what was going on; if this was some sort of statue that was unbelievably realistic, or if someone had buried a dragon with full honours, as it were. He could tell that his Grandtad was practically vibrating with excitement, Granddad Jack putting his hand on Ianto's back in an attempt to ground him.

"We'll need to get you all kitted out with climbing gear," Doctor Shen said, almost apologetically. "Then we can go."


	3. Chapter 3

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Three  


Author: Milady Dragon

* * *

 ** _10 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

Jack watched as Ianto gave the climbing rig he was handed a bemused look, then slid the harness up over his legs and buckled the heavy poly-leather belt about his waist.

It was a tribute to his mate that he didn't let his nerves get to him, about actually getting to go into the cave. He could have pointed out that, as a dragon, he was perfectly able to get around underground, but he didn't. Instead, Ianto had nodded along with the directions Professor Kong gave him on safe spelunking and how to rely on your climbing partners, only the twitching of his hands giving away just how excited he was to finally be going into the cavern.

To be honest, when he'd heard about this find, Jack had been certain it couldn't be real. There had been too many archaeological finds that had been considered a link to the ancient dragons, but hadn't panned out. Then, there'd been the discovery on Hollis Beta, that an elder race of aliens had been to Earth and had taken away an entire population of Mesoamerican dragons and had attempted to populate the planet with them. They'd been long gone, without leaving much of a clue as to where they'd gone, but Jack was aware that Ianto thought they were long dead, having been removed from their homeworld; it was now proven that Earthborn dragons had a connection to their planet, and wouldn't be able to survive without going back at some point in their lives.

Although, they were working on that little issue at the moment. And thought they had it beat.

Ianto had written that paper about it, but only a handful knew – including Jack and the family – that he'd done it hoping to get some sort of evidence as to where the Quetzalin had gone, or to hear at least some quiet whisper of their passing from any other people who'd happened to take some sort of notice. So far, though, there had been nothing.

Once they were situated to Shen's satisfaction, the five of them began the climb toward the cave entrance. Kong had gathered up a kit of some sort, most likely carrying the tools of her archaeological trade, and Shen had a bag of his own, strap looped across his chest leaving his hands free.

Ianto still had the knapsack that he'd prepared back at Ddraig Llyn, and Jack knew his mate well enough to guess just what was inside. Ianto was usually prepared for just about anything.

Only Jack himself and Merlin were unencumbered by any sort of equipment; but then, Jack trusted Ianto to have pretty much everything they'd need, and Merlin had his magic.

The trail from the basecamp twisted up deeper into the mountains. Doctor Shen led the way, speaking over his shoulder as they hiked. "The first three meters into the cave are strewn with rubble, but beyond that it appears as if the tunnel was cut by hand and is relatively smooth. It does incline downward at a rather precipitous angle, which is why we rely on ropes and harnesses to keep anyone from losing their footing and sliding away. We've made a sort of rope bannister, so to speak, but the trip is still somewhat treacherous."

"I should be the anchor," Ianto spoke up. "I'm a bit heavier than a normal human, and a little stronger as well. Plus, I'm at home underground, and am less likely to slip."

Jack knew his mate was understating it; with his close relationship with the Earth Dragon, Ianto could be even more comfortable in caves than out in the open.

"That would be satisfactory, Professor Jones," the Restoration Specialist agreed. "I believe it should be myself and Master Merlin in the lead, with Professor Kong and Captain Harkness in the middle, if that is amenable to everyone."

There were no dissenting votes. Jack thought the formation made sense. Doctor Shen had been down there before and knew the way, and Merlin with him with his magic, to check for any sort of trap that might have been placed down there yet not triggered by the first visits to the tunnels. Ianto made the best anchor, and with him and the professor in the centre…he saw no reason to disagree.

It took them half an hour to trek to the cave. The sun was nearly touching the tops of the mountain peaks, but Jack wasn't worried about them leaving the cave after dark. He personally wasn't afraid of hiking at night, not with Ianto's superior vision and Merlin's magic, but he thought it might not even come to that, depending on how deep into the mountain this cavern was.

The cave entrance was a dark scar in the mountainside, the path ending a couple of feet from it, forcing them to climb a little. Someone had thoughtfully stuck antigrav pitons into the stone, so it was a simple matter to make their way across. Jack's respect for Shen went up, knowing it had to have been the scientist who had done it; he seemed fairly competent, although not as much as Ianto was.

There was a tiny ledge at the mouth of the cave, and that was where they used industrial-strength ropes to tie themselves together. When Merlin asked why not use antigravs and individual tractor beams, Shen answered, "Such things can be more unwieldy as a plain rope, with less flexibility; also, some mineral deposits have been known to interfere with that sort of technology. I have found that this way is the best when exploring underground…it is certainly safer."

Jack agreed with the Restoration Specialist. While he wasn't so big on being underground – a holdover from several thousand years ago, when he'd been buried alive, although he'd slept through the majority of it – it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable after so long that the memories had grown fuzzy with age. Perhaps, someday, he'd completely forget about it although, with Gray back in his life, that might take a little while longer.

Not that he'd wish his brother gone. Jack loved Gray. There were just so many bad memories attached to him that sometimes Jack found himself playing, 'What if?' with himself. And it usually went weird around scenario number two.

Sticking with the plan, Shen went first, with Merlin following right behind. Jack gallantly waved Kong forward, and the professor gave him a quick, tiny smile before accepting his gesture. That left the immortal walking close to his mate, which was the best of every world.

Shen had slipped a small, very bright light on an elastic band over his hair, the metallic base resting just at the centre of his forehead. As they entered the cave, the scientist flipped the lamp on, a small, golden ball of magical fire joining it as they moved deeper into the dark. Ianto pressed something into Jack's hand; it was a handheld torch, and Jack twisted the end to activate the miniature arc reactor that powered it.

Kong had her own headlamp on, but it was still dark, the woman relying on her compatriot's light and Merlin's floating orb to illuminate the way. Jack wasn't as sanguine, using his torch to see where his feet were going. Doctor Shen had been correct about the path; if not for the brightness and Jack's own sturdy boots, he could very well have stumbled on the rubble that was strewn about the floor of the passage, and the last thing anyone needed to get was a sprained or broken ankle.

He glanced back at his mate. Ianto's eyes had changed into their dragon aspect, the better to see in the surrounding darkness. They met Jack's gaze, and the immortal could easily make out the dragon's concern.

Ianto was well aware of how badly Jack had been affected by his brush with being buried alive; after all, he'd been a witness to the nightmares that had plagued Jack after the fact. He must have been worried that all of this would bring all those memories back, but Jack simply gave his mate his best smile, wanting to reassure him that he was fine.

It wasn't a lie, although Jack couldn't help but feel as if the cave walls were encroaching inward just a little. Still, it wasn't bothering him, and Jack would have said something before they'd all entered if he'd believed it would cause any sorts of issues.

Ianto gave him a faint smile of his own, silently accepting that Jack was, indeed, just fine.

The narrow tunnel widened into what looked to be like some sort of antechamber. The walls were perfectly smooth, just as the doctor had claimed; the floor also seemed to almost drop out from underneath them, and it wasn't until Jack was right up on it that he noticed the sharp incline of the cave's floor as it continued down into the inky blackness of the Earth. The aforementioned rope that had been added began just above the slope, knotted into a large metal bracket that someone had installed into the stone of the cave wall. Jack wondered why they hadn't used the same antigrav pitons there as well, but Shen replied that there was something about the interior of the cave that caused them to function somewhat sporadically.

Magic. Had to have been.

Jack knew his mate. He knew that Ianto would be feeling right at home, with the planet surrounding him. But then, the dragon was a creature of the Earth, a child of the Earth Dragon, and had grown up in caverns and deep places and could have found his way without the man-made lights that were stabbing through the darkness.

"Be careful," Shen admonished gravely, "it is easy to lose your footing on this next part of the journey."

"I'll keep anyone from falling," Ianto assured them.

Professor Kong had looked toward him when he spoke, and Jack watched as her eyes widened, obviously taking in his mate's altered appearance. "I am sorry for staring, Professor Jones," she whispered, as if afraid to disturb the silence around them, "however, you've taken me by surprise."

"I'm not offended," Ianto answered. "I understand that seeing my eyes like this can be a surprise to anyone not used to it. But my vision is stronger in my dragon aspect than human, and I didn't want to miss anything of interest by relying on a handheld light…or even Merlin's magic."

Shen had also turned, although he didn't seem as shocked as the professor did. But then, Jack figured, he'd had more knowledge of dragons and had most likely expected some sort of display from Ianto. "Shall we continue on?" he enquired.

Ianto gave him a nod. "Yes, please." There was a barely contained excitement in those slitted blue eyes. Jack couldn't blame him.

Hells, Jack was just as excited.

The immortal was glad of his boots as the floor of the cave sloped steeply, as if the place wanted them to slide into whatever was waiting for them at the bottom. Merlin slipped once, but Dr Shen managed to catch him, even as Ianto pulled the rope taut. The wizard apologised quietly, and they continued on in silence.

The quiet and darkness should have been creepy, but for some reason they weren't. It was as if the Earth Dragon was there, watching over them…and Jack had to wonder if that wasn't the case, but then dismissed it. The Great Dragons didn't much leave their valley anymore, and wouldn't they have known there was some strange dragon down there in the depths, just waiting to be found? Of course, that didn't take into consideration any sort of magic that might be preserving the…the dragon…from decaying under the weight of the ages that has passed since it had last seen the light of day. If Kong had been accurate in her dating, then it had certainly been millennia. Magic had almost died out for a while, leaving the Great Dragons considerably weakened, so he could see them not noticing something like a possible dragon being hidden in a cave in China.

Ianto had told them about the find, and all four dragons had been uncharacteristically excited. Nothing much did that to them anymore, but when a being lived for as long as they had Jack could understand why.

Jack had to wonder why this section of path had been carved out to be so steep. Was it to keep unwanted people out of the dragon's lair ahead? Some sort of booby trap made sense, and in the complete darkness no one would have noticed just how precipitous the slope really was. "Did you find any signs of possible tomb robbers down at the end of this?" he asked Shen.

"There were half a dozen skeletons at the base of the slope," the man confirmed. "They're still being examined, but the forensic anthropologist back at our labs in New Beijing believe they all died of impact injuries, after having gone crashing down this section of cave. We also believe this was some sort of trap for anyone trying to get into the cavern beyond."

Jack was impressed that the Restoration Specialist had understood the reasoning behind his question.

"Even if they'd gotten past this," Merlin waved his hand at the floor, "the magic I'm starting to really sense would've kept them from getting into the dragon's nest."

"What do you feel?" Ianto enquired softly.

"Protection. Preservation. A particularly powerful Sleep spell; I can practically smell the lavender in the air."

Jack took a whiff. "I can't smell anything."

"Sorry, Granddad…I meant magically." Merlin had a slightly chagrined expression on the part of his face that Jack could make out in the artificial lighting.

"I can feel the magic," Ianto commented, "but I'm not so good that I can identify individual spells. Are you certain about the Sleep spell?"

Jack could hear the excitement under the words, his mind going to where his mate's already had. Had someone put a true dragon into some sort of magical sleep? Or was Merlin simply sensing another trap up ahead? Although, if it was a trap, wouldn't Shen's team have already stumbled across it?

"Pretty sure," the wizard confirmed. "The thing is, I'm really surprised the magic down here didn't fade, like the rest of the magic in the universe. I'm thinking, though, that it's been in flux for millennia, and it's now strong again because of magic's resurgence." Of course, Merlin was the one responsible for that resurgence, but no one pointed that out. "I really want to see the state of preservation at the scene, because I'm worried that if that dragon down there had once been alive…well, they might not be now, and the Preservation spell might have just been enough to keep any sort of decomposition from taking place…"

Jack could tell that their grandson-by-mating really didn't want that to be true, that he hadn't wanted to say those words, but Merlin would always be upfront and honest about things like that. Getting everyone's hopes up was the wrong thing to do, although Merlin – like the rest of them – wanted to believe that, somehow, a dragon had remained in hiding for so very long and would still be viable.

It wasn't as if they hadn't seen this before, but that had been in actual eggs, and not an older dragon. Still, there was no way to know if all the eggs currently in preservation at home contained living children, not until Merlin called them forth. Then they'd know, and be able to act accordingly.

There was just something heart-breaking about a little child dying like that, alone and without having been able to live their lives.

Time seemed to elongate, and yet be compressed as well, and Jack couldn't tell how long they'd been carefully sliding down the slippery slope before they finally hit the bottom. Using his torch, the immortal scanned the newest section; it was another passage, perhaps two metres high and twice that wide, and just ahead he could make out an area of blackness that had to have been the cavern where the dragon was lying. The darkness seemed to swallow up the lights, like some sort of greedy shadow monster just beyond the passageway.

There was a device set up on a tripod just on the edge of this cavern. Jack watched as Shen made his way over, checking it – it was a holocamera, and he knew it had to be where they were getting their images from. Shimmying out of the climbing harness, Jack joined the scientist, who was tutting over the camera, with its enormous lamp on top that seemed to be on the verge of toppling the entire thing over.

"The lamp went out on its own about an hour before you arrived," the doctor explained. "It seems to be burnt out."

"Magic," Merlin answered. Jack turned to regard his grandson; his eyes blazing gold, the wizard was examining the stones around them, and he wondered just what Merlin was able to see with his magical sight. "It's traditionally a bit rough on technology. It knocked out the electronics in your camera."

"That makes sense," Professor Kong replied. She hadn't removed her own gear, but she had untied herself from the group. "It is a good thing we have you with us, Master Merlin, in case our torches go out."

Ianto had stepped out of his own harness, leaving it in a pile on the stone, and was wandering toward the opening just beyond the broken-down camera equipment. His eyes were still in their dragon aspect, and he was staring in awe just over Doctor Shen's shoulder. "What can you see?" Jack murmured as his mate approached.

Before Ianto could answer, Merlin was shouting, "Grandtad! Stop!"

The dragon blinked, surprise causing his eyes to return to human normal. He stared at Merlin, one eyebrow raised. "What is it?" he asked, as Jack surreptitiously put himself between the cavern entrance and his distracted mate, the need to protect him any possible danger nearly overwhelming.

"Just…can you come back toward me? Please?" Merlin wasn't looking at Ianto; his attention was on the opening itself, and Jack knew he was watching the magic that had blocked the previous team from entering.

Not questioning Merlin, Ianto did as their grandson-by-mating had asked, stepping away from the area and back toward the slope. The wizard's eyes darted in a nearly frantic manner, his hands twisting in open air. It looked strange, but Jack guessed that he was manipulating the magic around them in a way that only Merlin could see.

"Alright," he finally said, "can you move back toward Granddad Jack?"

The curiosity was rolling off Ianto in waves as he did as Merlin requested. Jack was just as curious, but knew it wouldn't do any good to interrupt whatever it was Merlin was doing. Kong opened her mouth to speak, but Jack shook his head emphatically. "Wait," he cautioned her quietly. "He'll tell us when he's ready."

She didn't look at all happy, but the professor complied.

The immortal made certain that he was still in between his mate and that pitch-black opening. Cold air was blowing out of that hole, making Jack shiver a little, feeling as if icy fingers were ruffling his hair and stroking down the back of his neck. For the first time since entering the cave system he felt just that little tiny bit freaked out, and it took all of his control not to order them all back to the surface. This was too important, and they all needed answers.

Ianto was within a step from Jack's position when Merlin asked him to stop once more. The dragon did so, but also giving Jack an eye roll, knowing exactly what his mate was doing and while the immortal wasn't a mind reader, he knew that the dragon was amused by his protective instincts. But then, Jack would come back if something happened. Ianto might not, and he wasn't about to risk the dragon's life on something they didn't understand.

Eventually, the gold faded from Merlin's eyes, the newly revealed blue sparkling in a way that had Jack feeling confident that things were going to work out…well, work out as best they could.

"There's a lot of magic in this place," Merlin began, "and it's all focussed on the cavern beyond." He waved a hand toward the darkness that still loomed over them all, despite all of the torches that could have been aimed at it. "I was right about the nature of the spells before: Protection, Preservation, and Sleep being the most prevalent. However," and at this point the wizard gained a large, almost manic, smile, "no one is getting into that cavern without a specific set of DNA, so to speak."

Jack got it at the same moment that Ianto did, judging from his mate's own happy smile, "Dragon DNA, right?" the immortal asked.

"Exactly. From what I can tell, it's actually attuned to Chinese dragon DNA, but Grandtad's own is making the barrier react as well. He should only have a little problem getting through it."

"How is that possible?" Kong wanted to know. "DNA was unknown back in the Ming Dynasty."

"I'm using DNA because that's the closest thing I can compare it to," Merlin handwaved it away. "It's really a combination of factors that make a dragon, a dragon. Plus, just because they didn't call it DNA, doesn't mean that the ancient wizards didn't understand it."

Merlin would know; after all, he'd once been one of those ancient wizards.

"What will happen when I walk across that barrier?"

Jack couldn't help but notice the _when_ , and not the use of _if_ , in that sentence. But then, this was his mate, who'd been searching for dragons for nearly as long as he'd been alive, so there would have been nothing that could have stopped him from going in.

"The magic should be dispelled. Now, what happens after that…" Merlin shrugged. "Honestly, Grandtad, I don't know the answer to that. But, whoever set this up wanted it preserved, and that Sleep spell was apparently not added as some sort of trap on the other side. Unless it's all a big trap for dragons to come and fall into."

"If it is," Ianto said, confidence clear in his face and voice, "then I trust you to come and rescue me."

Jack wanted to protest. He didn't want his mate to go inside that cavern and become trapped. But he couldn't really say anything, because he knew exactly what this meant to Ianto. It that really was a dragon in there – and really, Jack was becoming more and more certain that this was what they were dealing with – then they needed to go inside. If it was dead, then they would mourn it. If it was alive…well, Jack wasn't usually someone who hoped like that, but he was certainly wishing it was so. For Ianto's sake.

"Once you break the barrier," Merlin said confidently, "I'm going to make sure the spells are gone for good. But you'll need to get them all to come down first."

"Why can't you just unravel them yourself?" Jack demanded.

"It would take too long, and it might do more damage than letting Grandtad do it based on his genetics. If that dragon is somehow still alive in there, it could very well kill them for good if we don't do this the right way."

No, that certainly wasn't an option. They weren't going to possibly risk an innocent life trying something that would most likely not work. Merlin might have been the most powerful wizard in the universe, but there were still things he wouldn't be able to do, even if it involved someone who wasn't nearly as strong magically. In fact, Merlin had often said those were the wizards a person really had to watch out for, because of the shortcuts and such those magic users were willing to take in order to do what they'd planned. Such magic had the very real chance of literally blowing up in your face.

Ianto straightened his already-straight shoulders. "Then I should go ahead and do this, then."

Jack reached out and snagged his mate's hand, stroking the warm fingers gently. "I'm going to be right behind you. If something goes wrong…"

He didn't need to finish the promised. Ianto gave him a soft smile, nodding once to acknowledge the rest of that sentence. "I know."

So much emotion was packed in those two words. Before Jack could even register what he was doing, he'd pulled Ianto to him, kissing him to within an inch of his immortal life. It would never get old, the way his dragon kissed him, as if he needed Jack's very presence to exist.

It didn't hurt that Jack felt the exact same way.

There was a rather pointed throat clearing, and it did its job of breaking the kiss. Jack glared at Merlin, who looked as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. "Time's passing," their grandson-by-mating reminded them. "You can kiss each other all you want afterward."

"I'm not going to say a thing about how you and Arthur act around each other," Jack growled, "especially now that he's pregnant again."

The wizard shrugged unrepentantly. "What can I say? Arthur's gorgeous when he'd pregnant."

Ianto rolled his eyes, steeping away from Jack. "He does have a point."

"About Arthur being gorgeous when he's pregnant?" Jack pretended to completely misunderstand. "I wouldn't know, I never noticed."

"Liar," the dragon disagreed fondly.

Well, he might have been right about that. Arthur might have been their blood grandson, but Jack really couldn't help but be proud that the Harkness-Jones genetics were present within him. They'd never discovered who Arthur's father really was; his conception had occurred during one of Anwyn's frequent one-night stands back when she'd been younger, but the immortal was pleased by her 'work' in bringing him into the universe.

"Silly. No, about time passing. Let's get this over with, shall we?"

With those last words, Ianto turned toward the entrance to the cavern, his eyes shifting back into the slit-pupiled form that was normal for his dragon body. Jack took his place at his mate's left shoulder, his torch aimed at the ground in order to prevent it accidentally flashing into Ianto's eyes.

Anyone else would have thought that Ianto wasn't nervous. That he was taking those steps confidently toward the invisible barrier that had been placed between this smaller cave and the larger one beyond. They would have been wrong, and Jack could see it easily.

As his foot crossed into the cave, Ianto stopped in his tracks. That lasted about thirty seconds, and then he was through, and into an area that no one had entered in nearly four thousand years.

There was a low rumble, almost out of hearing, and Jack instantly had his torch up and examining the walls in case they were collapsing. Nothing moved…well, except for Ianto, who was striding toward the shadowed hump just ahead. Jack had the light pointing at it, revealing deep red scales and hair so black it seemed as if the darkness of the cavern had settled around head and tail. A sweep of the light revealed the black antlers and gold ruff that had been obvious in the image that had been sent to Merlin, the one that had gotten them there.

All around the still form were all sorts of treasure. Gold, pottery, gemstones…all sorts of precious items had been placed around the dragon, in the semblance of a hoard. From underneath the bulk there were pillows and blankets, all textiles rich and sparkling with threads in gold and silver embroidered within the fabrics.

And, just where it had been in the images, resting between the gold-painted claws, was a black pearl larger than Jack's head.

Another rumble sounded, but this one seemed to have come from the shape ahead.

Sides that had previously been still began to move, as the dragon started to draw breath. Ianto had to have seen; he stopped up short, one hand up to his mouth in shock, his gasp audible in the silence of their surroundings.

"Is…" Shen's voice squeaked, "is it alive?"

The sound must have roused the dragon, because one large eye opened somewhat sluggishly, revealing a brilliant green pupil that contracted in the brilliant light of the torch. This time, the noise it made was an irritated grumble, as if it was mad that it had been awakened in the first place.

Suddenly, it was as if the dragon realised it didn't know the interlopers into its lair.

Rearing up on hind legs, the dragon roared, the sound echoing throughout the chamber and making Jack cover his ears in order to protect them. Words came from the mouth, but the immortal didn't recognise the language; Jack guessed it was ancient Chinese. He vaguely wondered if he knew anyone who spoke it anymore.

The unknown dragon was panicking, and Jack darted back out of the way, not wanting to be trampled.

Ianto, however, stood his ground.

He began to sing.

It was one of the many Songs of Greeting. Jack had heard it before, a long time ago, and he was aware that dragons would have used it to greet members of their family after a long absence. Ianto's voice didn't quite drown out the distressed dragon's cries, but it seemed to get through to it, because its large head turned toward the sound, frightened eyes staring down at Ianto as he continued to sing.

That enormous head lowered, and Jack took a step forward, concerned that those formidable antlers would do damage to his mate. Ianto gave him a hand gesture that had the immortal stopping in his tracks, knowing that his mate would call for help if needed.

Instead of going for Ianto with its antlers, the dragon laid its head down on the floor of the cavern, the better to regard Ianto in his human form. It began to hum along with the joyful tune that was the Song of Greeting, fear falling from its green eyes, replaced by wonder. Ianto carefully reached up and rested a hand on one branch of the antlers, and it breathed a deep sigh, calming down even further.

Ianto had once explained to Jack that, no matter what human language a dragon spoke most of their lives, the dragon language was universal. All dragons spoke it, or rather sang it, and it didn't matter where they called their home. Jack was seeing an example of that, as the massive – and quite young, if he was any judge, and he liked to think it was – Chinese dragon reacted to the Welsh dragon's welcome.

Jack took the opportunity to check with the others. Both Kong and Shen were staring in shock at the tableau; he was certain neither of them had expected the dragon to still be living, despite some of their comments from earlier. Shen looked as if he wanted to go right up and touch, and Kong was holding him back, hand clamped about his bicep. Even from where the immortal was standing he could see that the archaeologist's grip was so tight her knuckles had gone bloodless.

Merlin was standing in the entry, hands raised, eyes glowing as he deconstructed the spells that had kept this place preserved for so long. As Jack watched, his grandson lowered his arms, and his eyes faded back to blue, as he finished with whatever it was he'd done. The younger man caught Jack's eye, and nodded at the unspoken question, if it was now safe.

Good. One less thing they needed to worry about.

The song was fading. Jack had wondered why his mate hadn't changed into his own dragon form, but figured he hadn't wanted to crowd their new acquaintance and scare it even further. He couldn't tell if this was a male or female; Jack was pretty good at it with his family, as he welcomed new children into their clan, but this was a stranger, and he waited for Ianto to make introductions.

Once the song was done, Ianto spoke to the new dragon in their language, and getting an answer in return. He sang something else; and it must have been an invitation to transform, because the ubiquitous golden glow of magic surrounded it, compressing into a human-sized package.

Ah…a female, then.

She had long black hair that flowed down her back and past her waist. Several strands were braided in an intricate pattern that was held in place with jewelled pins. Her face was porcelain pale and exquisitely featured, almond-shaped green eyes smiling as she bowed formally to Ianto, who returned it. She was perhaps a bit more than a foot shorter than the older dragon, and really very young, looking as if she was in her teens.

Her clothing was absolutely gorgeous. A red, pleated skirt swirled around her feet; embroidered slippers peeked out from underneath as she moved. A long jacket with flowing sleeves covered the skirt down to the knees, white material stitched with colourful floral designs, red piping at hem and cuffs. A wide, golden sash held the jacket crossed together at the front.

Ianto took the knapsack from where it had been hanging onto his shoulder, saying something else to the dragon. He rooted around inside for a moment, pulling out a small box out from within.

Jack recognised it: it was one of the special translators that Torchwood used for time-lost individuals who didn't speak Galactic Standard. Merlin had been the one to develop it, basing it on Time Lord technology and a healthy dose of magic.

Ianto held the box out, flipping open the lid to show her what was inside. She looked concerned, frowning at Ianto, but he sang softly, obviously explaining to her what the device was.

Of course, she'd be speaking ancient Chinese. Did either Shen or Kong know it? After all, Galactic Standard had long been accepted as the language of the Human Empire, and many of the very old Earth languages had died out as a result. The only reason members of their clan spoke English and Welsh – Ianto had insisted – was because each and every one of them had been taught since an early age, as a reminder of their past and heritage. Not all of their children and grandchildren had taken to it, but they'd done their best to make certain everyone knew where their family's roots were even if they were adopted into it.

Jack vaguely wondered if Melinda May still spoke Chinese, but figured it wouldn't matter now, if their newest 'guest' accepted the translator.

"I can't believe she's still alive," Merlin murmured. Jack barely managed not to jump; he'd been focussing on his mate and hadn't been aware of his grandson-by-mating approaching.

"Your Grandtad is going to be wondering how she was missed all this time," Jack said quietly.

"We may never know."

"What is he doing?"

Jack didn't even react to Shen's question; he and Professor Kong were considerably less stealthy than Merlin was.

As they watched the female dragon carefully picking up the translator, Jack answered, "It's a translation device, since it's a foregone conclusion she doesn't speak Standard."

"Of course," Kong grumbled. She didn't look happy, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. Ianto knew dragons; he was the expert here, and not either scientist. Jack couldn't make up his mind if she was disappointed that the dragon had turned out to still be alive, and not either dead or just a fancy artefact, or if the pinched expression she was wearing was just natural for her when faced with something inexplicable.

"I cannot believe she is still viable," Shen whispered excitedly. "Will Professor Jones be aiding her in assimilation?"

Jack considered. "He'll certainly help, but I think this will take a professional to really get her settled. Our daughter, Lisa, is an Intake Specialist with Torchwood. I'm certain Director Coulson will be happy to lend her to us for this occasion." Lisa really would be the best one for the job. She had the experience and was really quite good at what she did.

"She is another dragon?" When Jack nodded, Shen gave him a smile. "That would be ideal."

"We need to report this to the Council," Kong hissed. "We cannot be making any sort of decision until we inform them and get their approval."

"Of course," Jack hastened to agree. The Chinese Regional Council – the governing body over the entire China region, answerable only to EarthGov – would make the attempt to be the final answer on anything that was done for their newest dragon. There had been a bit of a kerfuffle with them over Carys, their granddaughter, when it had been obvious that she was a Chinese dragon, but there really hadn't been a lot they could do about it. She'd been legally adopted, and Jack and Ianto had gone to Torchwood's legal department for advice about the other eggs waiting to be opened. They'd managed to get all of those children classified as abandoned, which had paved the way for all the rest of the adoptions and for the ones in the future.

He wasn't necessarily happy, and he knew Ianto would have something to say on the subject, but their hands were practically tied…unless they could somehow get this young lady declared as abandoned as well. Or make her understand that the final decision was hers to make.

There was a light, tinkling laugh, and he glanced over as his mate. The girl must have put the translator into her ear, and she was reacting to being able to understand a language that she hadn't been born into. Jack watched as she bowed once more, demurely and with respect.

Ianto, though, hugged her.

For a split second, the young dragon was surprised by the embrace, but she was soon putting her own arms around Ianto, accepting the affection he was offering.

Jack couldn't keep the smile from his face at that.

Now, they just had to make certain this youngster got to make her own choices.


	4. Chapter 4

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Four  


Author: Milady Dragon

* * *

 ** _10 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

Lisa took a deep breath, letting the slight disorientation of transmat fade as she glanced around the family shuttle, where someone – most likely her Dad, via her Tad's need for preparedness – had set up a portable transmat pad. It was a two-person system, and she followed her niece, Carys, off it in order to make room for Nathan and Nicole, who were both following on after.

She shifted her shoulder bag a little more comfortably. To say the call from Dad had been a surprise was an understatement. The notion that a dragon had survived in some sort of magical sleep since the old calendar 1500's seemed incredible, but this was her Dad, and he was usually a pretty straight shooter where the weird was concerned.

His request that Lisa come and help her assimilate had made her realise just how much she loved her parents, knowing that they were trusting her with this.

The second request, that she bring along Carys, Nicole, and Nathan had been a little stranger, until Lisa had thought about it.

Carys was, after all, a true Chinese dragon. Nathan and Nicole resembled them close enough in their dragon forms to pass. They might be able to put their newest family member at ease faster than a dragon of Tad's – and Lisa's – form might.

And yes, she was already considering her a member of their clan.

The transmat hummed, and her other niece and nephew faded into view. Even before they'd fully formed, Lisa could tell that Nathan was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, excited about meeting another dragon like him. It had taken Carys coming onto the scene for him to finally become comfortable with his dragon form, and the final nudge had been when Nicole's own dragon body had turned out to be exactly like his, except for being opposite in colour.

Lisa, though, could understand his excitement. This was another one like them, a dragon, who was alone in the world and needed their help. Anytime they had news of one of their own kind, it was like getting a special gift, and Lisa couldn't help but worry about messing this up.

"It's going to be fine," Carys murmured, putting a hand on Lisa's forearm. "You're gonna be great, Aunt Lisa." Her dark eyes flashed with certainty.

Lisa couldn't help it; she chuckled. "Well, what can I say when you have so much faith in me?"

"Exactly."

Lisa turned to regard her Dad, who was standing in the open hatch of the shuttle, leaning against the door seal and grinning.

"Is it true?" Nathan asked, almost breathlessly. "Is this other dragon like us?"

Jack's eyes turned fond at Nathan's nervous happiness. "Yes, she is. And her name is Zhu Xia Daiyu, but she's given us permission to call her Xia. Apparently, it means 'Red Sky' in Old Chinese…which is pretty appropriate, if you ask me."

Lisa had seen the image that Dad had sent along with his request, and she couldn't agree more. "Do we know anything else about her?" she asked.

"Your Tad has been speaking to her, but he's encouraging her to hold off on telling her story until you get there. He felt it would be easier if she only had to tell it once."

She nodded. "It might be a bit less traumatic that way."

"Now," Jack cautioned them all, "Xia is really unsure about everything, so take it easy on her. I know I don't have to say that to Lisa, but you three," he pointed toward Carys, Nathan, and Nicole, "cool your jets until she gets used to having us all around. She hasn't come out and said it, but I get the feeling that Xia has had a really sheltered life. Being in the future is going to be hard enough on her, okay? And you two," he gestured toward the twins, "look very different in your mortal bodies, from what she's used to."

All three nodded in perfect unison. "We get it, Granddad," Nicole answered for them. "We just want to make sure she's going to be fine."

"And to make her feel more at home," Nathan piped up.

"We have no desire to scare her, Granddad," Carys added.

"I know that, sweetheart, but you listen to your Aunt Lisa. She's the expert in this sort of thing."

Lisa couldn't control the eye roll. "No pressure there, right Dad?"

"You'll do fine," Jack comforted. "Just treat this like any other intake situation." He stepped up to her, Carys moving out of the way. He rested both hands on her shoulders. "You're going to do the best you can. You know as well as I do, sometimes these situations don't have happy endings. But you're a professional, and you know what you're doing. And it'll be the best job you can."

With those words, Lisa managed to push back all her doubts about being able to help. Her Dad was right; she was a professional, trained by Torchwood, and there were times when things just didn't work out. Those times had been rough, but she had her family to support her when things did go wrong.

Plus, in this circumstance, Lisa did have a bit of an advantage. While Xia was from a time after Camelot, Lisa could rely on the memories she'd inherited from her previous life as Morgana Pendragon. She didn't often want to recall those times, but there were moments like this that she could relate to their new guest with, and hopefully that would help bridge any sort of gap that might happen later.

She could do this.

Something of her resolve must have shown in her face, because Jack gave her one of his small, but sunny smiles that he reserved for family. "That's my girl." He draped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on then, you lot. Let's see what we can do to help out."

He steered them all out of the shuttle, into developing twilight. The wind whipped Lisa's hair into her face, glad that it was short; unlike Nicole's, because strands were immediately tugged out of the neat braid she'd twisted it into.

This was the first time Lisa had ever been to China, and she suspected it wasn't all empty like this. Mountains rose before them, and she could make out the rise of the Great Wall as it snaked over the peaks like a stone snake. It was impressive, but then Lisa remembered Camelot, and nothing really compared to Arthur's seat of power.

There were times when she missed Camelot, and wished things hadn't ended so badly for them all back then. Wished that she hadn't gone mad with power and jealousy and anger at Uther Pendragon and his secretive ways. She'd blamed Arthur back then as well, although now she knew just how wrong that had been.

Merlin was waiting just outside, a lopsided grin on his face and his own hair blowing into frantic curls against his forehead. Lisa could recall just how furious she'd been with him, back when he'd tried to kill her during the Camelot days, but now – with the gift of hindsight – she could understand the reasons behind his actions.

It helped that she wasn't insane any longer.

"I managed to speak to Dr Shen before you got here," Merlin said as they joined him, "and he told me an interesting myth that he thought might be an actual historical mention of Xia and how she got here."

"Oh?" Lisa prompted. She would need all the information she could get if she was going to be of any help.

"I'll tell you on the way up to the camp."

Jack led the way, letting the rest of them gather around Merlin as he explained. "Apparently, there's a legend about a being known as _Manao Huanghou…_ the Onyx Empress. Back during the time of the Hongzhi Emperor, there was a woman who was a member of the court. She was the last of her clan, and the Emperor was protective of her. One day, a danger came to China and the Emperor arranged to put the woman into a magical sleep, to save her from what he thought was deadly circumstances, including many treasures and comforts so she would rest comfortably. However, once the danger was past, the place where they'd hidden the Onyx Empress was lost. Doctor Shen believes this is a link between Xia and her life before she ended up in the cavern."

"It's rather simplistic," Nicole commented, "but I can see the parallels."

So could Lisa. So many stories were hidden behind legend and myth, it would only make some sort of sense that this was what had occurred.

"But why onyx?" Nathan asked. "I mean, from the pictures I could see maybe her hair, but she's predominately red."

Merlin shrugged. "Who knows?"

"We may never know," Jack said. "Unless Xia can give us some context."

The trek up into the mountains gave Lisa time to think, and to consider her strategy. Her Dad was correct: this was what she was good at. Her success rate was one of the best in Torchwood, but that didn't mean she hadn't failed in the past. Still, she had to set that aside and bring all of her attention to the newest resident of the 54th century.

She really wouldn't know her final plan until she met Xia. Lisa had to hope that it would all turn out well, but she was very much aware just what could go wrong. She'd only worked with one other refugee from that deep in the past, and it hadn't really gone all that well until Lisa had taken the step of isolating him away from all the technology that had confused and frightened him. Still, it had turned out alright in the end; she'd found their guest a home on one of the lower tech worlds out on the edge of Imperial space, and the last report she'd had was that he'd settled in nicely and had actually gotten married, and there were two children with another on the way. It was one of her greater successes, one that she could look back on and hope the lessons she'd learned there would be of aid to her here.

They came upon the group of tents before Lisa was actually ready to, brightly lit in the coming night. There were also tables set up under a canopy that flapped in the wind; under that were four strangers, two one of them not looking very happy to see them, while the third was obviously curious. The fourth seemed to be ready to jump out of his skin with excitement.

Jack walked right up to them, ignoring the way the older woman and the kid – he couldn't have been more than sixteen – were glaring at them as they approached. Lisa caught glimpses of various pieces of research equipment on the tabletop before her Dad was introducing them.

"Doctor Shen Huiliang…Professor Kong Chen Li, this is my daughter, Dr Lisa Harkness-Jones, a specialist in time-displaced individuals."

Lisa shook their hands politely, hiding her surprise at Dad using her full title. It wasn't something that happened very often, although she was a trained psychologist and was working on her doctorate in counselling. She got the impression that it was important to these two to understand that she was a professional, and would be qualified to help in whatever manner their temporal refugee would need.

Professor Kong was thoroughly disapproving. Doctor Shen was the one Lisa was convinced wanted to hug her. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Jack explained just what both scientists did there, and then moved on to Professor Kong's students, Wang Xiaofei and Liao Tingfeng. Liao was the one who didn't seem to be overly happy to see them, just like the professor, and Lisa figured she'd hear why at some point.

Jack then introduced Nathan, Nicole, and Carys. Carys' appearance seemed to surprise all four of them, although Liao appeared to be totally unimpressed by her more than anyone else. Lisa recalled the mess that had been raked up when it had been discovered that Carys was a Chinese dragon that had been lost to time, and wondered if this boy knew something about it, perhaps having heard about it somehow. The family wasn't exactly low-key, as it were.

"Why don't we let Lisa go in with Ianto and Xia," Jack suggested. He pointed her toward the middle tent. "They're in there; your Tad thought it would be best to shield her as much as possible from any influences that might shock her too much."

Lisa smiled. Trust her Tad to be taking that sort of thing into consideration. She always thought he'd have been excellent working in Intake; however, the one time she'd mentioned it to him, he'd laughed and explained some of the things he'd had to do back in the old Torchwood days…which sounded very much what Lisa did now, only without the education she'd had.

"That's a good plan," she approved. Glancing between her Dad and the scientists, she got the distinct impression that at least two of them were about to start some sort of argument and quite honestly, she didn't think that would be a good thing for Xia to overhear. "If you're going to have a loud discussion while I'm gone, you'd best not," she cautioned them, shooting Professor Kong and her student, Liao Tingfeng, her very best glare. "We don't want Xia to get upset if she figures out you're talking about her without her being present. She deserves to make her own decisions about what happens to her, so keep that in mind before you go and try to shout down the sky in your quest to get your way."

Professor Kong had the grace to look abashed; but Liao simply narrowed his eyes and set his chin stubbornly. Lisa stifled a sigh, knowing she'd be hearing his opinions at some point and, chances were, she wasn't going to like them.

With those words, Lisa spun on her heel and strode toward the tent. Before she could reach the closed flap, she could make out soft voices inside, and she put on her most welcoming smile as she twitched it aside in order to enter.

Her Tad was seated in a camp chair that looked as if it was straining a bit under his not-inconsiderable weight. He gave Lisa a soft grin as she entered, rising to his feet. The tent wasn't quite tall enough for him to stand upright, but he made due. "Hello, sweetheart," he greeted her, meeting her with a hug.

Tad always gave the best hugs. Dad did, too. Lisa was never going to get caught in the middle of any sort of comparison.

One of the first things she'd realised when she'd gotten old enough to understand was that Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones were very different from Uther Pendragon. Uther had been standoffish and hadn't liked to touch; her new Dads would hug her without any provocation whatsoever.

Lisa really _loved_ the hugs.

"Allow me to introduce my daughter, Lisa Harkness-Jones," he said to the woman in the other seat. "Lisa, this is Zhu Xia Daiyu."

The Chinese dragon also rose, and Lisa immediately coveted her clothing. They were absolutely beautiful, the red skirt falling to the tops of a pair of the most gorgeous, brightly coloured slippers she's ever seen…and they looked to have been hand embroidered, along with the floral-patterned white jacket. And her hair, with its fancy pins and the braids that were woven together around her head, with long locks that fell almost to her knees. Lisa felt distinctly underdressed around her, but she stuffed the strange inadequacy deep down inside and bowed to her newest client.

And, she hoped, soon-to-be friend.

"You are the one Lord Ianto Jones has said will be able to aid in my assimilation into this strange time." Her voice was pitched low, smooth and chiming like bells. Her smile was warming, her green eyes almost shyly dipping a little, as if she couldn't quite look at Lisa in the eye.

Lisa wanted to put her at ease, so she laughed. "Tad actually is letting you get away with calling him 'Lord'?" She turned to Ianto. "You know, Dad will never let you live it down."

Her Tad rolled his eyes fondly. "I have told Xia that it's fine if she calls me Ianto, but she does insist on the proprieties."

"It is only proper to show respect to the one who released me from my magical sleep," Xia argued gently, sounding slightly scandalised by the very notion of being familiar with Ianto.

Lisa made a mental note to never mention that she'd been a princess in another life. She was afraid that Xia would take it a bit too far and, besides, Lisa hated being reminded of her former station.

She was like Arthur and his dread of being called the Once and Future King, in that way.

"Well," she glanced back at Xia, "I do hope you'll call me Lisa. We'll be spending a lot of time together, and I like to think we'll become friends."

That seemed to relieve their refugee a little. "As do I. And please, you are welcome to call me Xia."

"Why don't we sit down and get to know each other," Lisa suggested.

There was a third seat in the tent, and this one Lisa took, settling down into it carefully. However, it seemed alright with holding a humanised dragon's weight, and she made herself a bit more comfortable.

"Now," she began, "I'm going to ask you some questions, the best to get a feel for where and when you're from. If anything I ask is too personal, you have permission to tell me so and you won't have to answer." Lisa didn't bother to take her usual tablet from its pouch in her bag; she didn't want to overwhelm Xia with gadgets she couldn't understand yet. Besides, she was recording it all on her wrist computer, which was hidden under her sleeve, so she would have a record of their conversation later.

"I shall do my utmost to answer everything to the best of my ability," Xia promised.

"Thanks for that. It'll help in the process." Lisa leaned back in her chair. "Now, what's the last date you remember?"

Xia's eyes darted toward Ianto. "My Lord, you calculated it for me." Then she looked at Lisa. "I am sorry, but I would tell you as we kept the days but you would not understand, so Lord Ianto Jones helped me to figure it out."

"As close as I can come up with," Ianto replied, "is sometime in August 1505, Old Earth Date."

That was what she'd gotten in the small bits of information that had been passed to her, when Dad had called her in on the case. "Did Tad tell you how long you slept?"

Xia nodded, swallowing nervously. "Yes. He said I have been sleeping under the mountain for three thousand and eight hundred years. It…seems incredible to me that so much time has passed."

"I've dealt with people like you, who have been separated from their homes and times, and I'm hoping that we can get you caught up fairly quickly. I'm not going to lie to you…it's going to be hard. So much has changed since the last time you were awake, and we're going to have our work cut out for us, but I believe we can eventually get you prepared enough that you'll be able to function in this new world. We certainly going to do the best we can."

Xia's eyes were a little glassy from held-back tears. "I…believe you, Lisa. I put myself in your hands."

Yes, no pressure at all…

And yet, Lisa felt she was up to the task.


	5. Chapter 5

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Five  


Author: Milady Dragon

* * *

 ** _10 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

Merlin's eyes tracked his Aunt Lisa – he'd mostly forgotten that she'd once been Morgana, because it just didn't matter anymore – as she headed into the tent where Grandtad Ianto and Zhu Xia Daiyu were talking, hoping that she'd be able to help the young dragon to settle in during this time.

Honestly, if Lisa couldn't do it, then the wizard thought that no one else could. Aunt Lisa might have been young in dragon years, turning 209 this December, but Grandad and Grandtad had refused to really coddle any of their children; instead, they'd opened up the universe for them all, letting them all fly free when they were ready. Grandtad Ianto had once said that he'd been still considered a child at five hundred, and in many ways he'd regretted that his parents hadn't let him travel and see the world all that much before they'd been murdered. Ianto admitted that he'd become practically a recluse afterward, some of if due to mourning, but the majority out of from what would have been diagnosed as mild agoraphobia. He hadn't been allowed to grow up for a very long time, and it had showed in his need to stay in the valley long after he should have been seeing the world.

Of course, in the days of the Crusades and the Dragon Slayers, that might very well have gotten him killed, but Merlin knew that Grandtad regretted not getting more of an education in humankind much earlier than he had. It hadn't really been until the sixteenth century that Ianto had left the nest, so to speak, on his own, and he was never gone long. From what Merlin had heard, the longest Ianto had been gone from Ddraig Llyn before meeting Granddad Jack had been during his Warehouse Twelve days, and he'd only been there for about five years.

Looking at everyone under the canopy, Merlin could tell that Doctor Shen was the only one who seemed to want to be a proverbial fly on the wall in that tent out of a sense of wonder. There's been quite an argument between Granddad Jack, Professor Kong, and her assistant Liao Tingfeng when they'd found out that Jack had called for Lisa before the archaeologist had had the chance to inform the Chinese Council of their discovery. While Merlin could understand it a little – after all, Xia was technically a Chinese citizen, although more a citizen of Earth – he could also see where his Granddad had been coming from when he'd jumped the gun after agreeing with them contacting their superiors while back in the cave. Waiting too long to begin the assimilation could have disastrous consequences, and getting an expert in had been the only thing they could do.

The other student, Wang Xiaofei, was motivated purely by curiosity, unlike any of the others. Doctor Shen was deep into the romance of new discovery; and the other two were just plain angry at having their authority usurped by what they saw as Torchwood, when Granddad had been adamant that this wasn't the case at all.

"Are we going to follow Dr Harkness-Jones' advice about _not_ arguing this out?" Jack demanded quietly. He was deliberately using Aunt Lisa's title, and Merlin could see the point. He wanted them to see her as an expert, and not as Granddad Jack's daughter.

Kong snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "You had no right to call anyone in before we'd consulted with the government _and_ the Restoration Council." Her voice was low-pitched, though, so it seemed as if Lisa's words had had an effect.

"You're right." Jack's capitulation had the professor's eyes widening in surprise. "But also, think on this: is there really anyone else out there in the Empire more educated in helping a time-displaced individual than Torchwood? They've been doing it for millennia. They're even better at it than the old Time Agency. And not getting Xia the help she needs as quickly as possible could have caused her irreparable damage. Do any of us want to see that?"

Merlin noticed that he _didn't_ mention that Xia could technically be classified as a temporal refugee, which would put her assimilation fully under Torchwood's purview. He wasn't sure why he was leaving that bit out, but he'd let his Granddad deal with it the way he thought would work best.

"And you can't tell me that either of those august bodies wouldn't have agreed to it," Merlin pointed out. "I think, Professor Kong, you're just upset over the idea that you're not able to get your hands on Xia's hoard."

He'd seen it, back in the cavern…the archaeologist going into hyperactivity over the idea of studying of what had constituted Xia's dragon hoard. Grandtad Ianto had put a stop to any sort of messing around at once, quoting dragon law about the sanctity of the hoard and how no one was allowed to touch it without permission. He'd then hustled Xia out, not letting them speak to her at all, and Merlin had decided that putting up a new magical barrier wouldn't be amiss, so he had.

"What?" Nicole's eyes narrowed, making them look even more forbidding than usual with their double-pupils.

"It would be an unprecedented window into Ming Dynasty culture," Kong hissed. "All those treasures… they can't be allowed to moulder down there in the dark!"

"No one touches a dragon's hoard," Nathan snapped. "It would be like breaking into someone's house and rifling through their personal belongings, only worse." He pinned the professor with his stern gaze. "How would you like it if that happened to you, Professor Kong?"

"Alright," she sighed, "you're right. I wouldn't like that very much at all." Her eyes glittered. "But all that history…"

"I'm sure once Xia is settled she'll let you look around," Jack soothed. He was most likely correct; after all, Merlin had seen his Grandtad do that very thing with one of his minor hoards, but only for learning purposes.

"But that's not all," Liao continued hotly. "That dragon is ours, belongs to China, and we won't lose another one to you and your family." He glared at Carys.

Carys didn't look at all impressed by it. "Xia is her own person. She will have her chance to make whatever choice is good for her, once she gets all the information available to make that choice. If it's to stay here, then we'll certainly respect it. But she deserves to know what her options are. As for me," he let her eyes slip into their dragon aspect, "I was abandoned, my egg just a trinket in some warlord's treasure vault. He didn't even know he had a true dragon's egg; he believed it was some sort of sculptural representation of one. Hells, he had my shell coated in gold, because he thought it was too plain! If it hadn't been for Aunt River, I would have faded away and never been awakened from the magical sleep my dead parents had put me in."

They knew the story from Merlin's Mum about Carys' egg. It had been the only Chinese dragon egg that River had been able to locate, and it had really been sheer luck that she'd found the records in the Braxiatel Collection of that particular warlord and the legend of his golden dragon egg. Everything that Carys had said was true, and Merlin knew that Carys' Tad, Gareth, would always be eternally grateful that River had followed up the clues and had saved that egg, had cleaned off the gold plating and had brought it to their family.

Merlin hadn't bothered to ask where all that gold had gone; but then, this was River Song, who the wizard was certain would have put all that into a hoard of her own. Because, while Merlin hadn't ever seen it, he was quite positive that his Mum had one that would rival any dragons'. Even his Dad thought the same, and the Doctor would certainly be in a position to know that sort of thing.

"You don't own her," Carys went on. "Just like your government didn't own me. So get over yourself, Mr Liao, because you don't have power over either of us."

Jack put an arm around her shoulders. "Well said, sweetheart." He kissed her temple. "Your life is your own, just as Xia's is hers." His eyes tracked to everyone around the work bench. "I won't lie. I hope that, someday, Xia decides to join our clan. But I'm not making that decision for her. It's going to be up to her what she does with her life. No one should force her into something she doesn't want."

"And yet," Liao snarled, "you just happened to have the members of your _clan_ who have Chinese dragon forms – or close to that – present." The emphasis he put on the word 'clan' made it sound like a curse word.

That every single member of the Jones clan growling at him, Merlin included. "I asked Carys, Nathan, and Nicole to be here because I thought it would be less stressful if Xia had familiar looking dragons around her," Jack said sharply. "Nothing more. So, excuse me for thinking of her wellbeing."

"Liao," Shen cut in, "if you cannot be polite to people who are here to help, then perhaps you should leave the dig."

Liao stiffened. Merlin was expecting him to cause even more trouble, but instead the young man spun on his heel and stalked away, toward one of the other tents. He disappeared inside, and if a tent flap could slam it would have.

"Well," Merlin commented, "at least we kept that low enough that Xia would most likely not have heard it."

Granddad Jack had the grace to look bothered by the fact that they'd had this argument in the first place, replaying everything that they'd discussed before the others had arrived. He could understand it, because Merlin was equally bothered, but it was also because he just didn't understand why Liao had come up with the idea that Xia belonged to the Chinese people. He had a feeling they were going to need to look into that before everything was said and done, but for now he just wanted to support Aunt Lisa and to do his best to make sure things were handled as evenly as possible.

"We should look at this as an opportunity to get a better perspective on Chinese dragons and the culture they had before they were all lost," Shen said, excitedly, as if the argument hadn't really penetrated past the zeal of discovery that had descended over his brain. "One of the greatest disasters in our history was the near-destruction of dragonkind. Professor Jones has done his best to bring that education back to the Empire, but there are still gaps…through no fault of his own. This could only add to our knowledge, and I am certain Professor Jones would agree."

Grandtad Ianto definitely _would_ agree, Merlin knew. But not quite in the way that Shen might have been thinking. Ianto would want to know about other dragons and their lives and histories, but he would always put that search for knowledge on the back burner in order to make certain that a dragon's wellbeing would be taken care of first. The wizard was certain that Ianto would ask Xia all about her world and her life, but only after he'd made sure she was safe and settled. Nothing else mattered to their dragon Patriarch. If Xia, in the end, didn't want to discuss anything about her life before she'd been magically interred, then Ianto would respect that.

Shen, though, might not, and he made a mental note to watch out for the Restoration Specialist in the future. Merlin was afraid he'd attempt to push things.

Although, to be fair, Xia did say she'd be willing to talk about what she could remember. Still, it would be up to her as to when that happened.

Carys didn't look pleased by the man's comments, while Nathan gave Shen an eye roll worthy of their Grandtad. Nicole wore her usual calm façade, the one she'd inherited from Ianto and had cultivated because of her adopted father, Phillip Coulson, which meant, to Merlin, that she was quietly seething. Merlin realised he wouldn't be the only one keeping an eye out.

"I admit to curiosity as well," Wang considered, "however, it might be too painful for Xia to tell. We shall have to wait and see."

Alright, Merlin was now predisposed to like her.

"Have you contacted the government yet?" Granddad Jack prodded Professor Kong.

"Not as yet," she answered, "although that was simply because I was distracted. I shall do that now. Please, excuse me." With those words, she left the group, heading into the third tent, where the comms unit had been set up.

"Was it wise to remind her?" Shen enquired.

Jack nodded. "Whatever happens, your governing Council will need to know what was found here. Yes, I'm not certain they'll have Xia's welfare at heart, especially after their failed attempt to come after Carys when she was a baby, but maybe they'll surprise me. After all, these are entirely new people than the ones who'd been around back then. There's no telling how they're going to react, but going behind their backs isn't the way to go."

He didn't add, especially since they'd borrowed Aunt Lisa from Torchwood to help. It might be seen as a use of Torchwood resources in order to gain a potential asset. None of them wanted that.

Not that Uncle Phillip couldn't handle it. Hells, he'd probably just sic Donna on them…now, that was a terrifying thought. The reincarnation of Donna Noble, Uncle Phillip's SHIELD PA, was a scarily efficient woman who could make a brave being squirm in sheer terror of her wrath.

Merlin loved Donna to bits.

Professor Kong was just coming out of the tent when Grandtad Ianto and Lisa emerged from the one they'd been speaking to their new friend in. Xia followed them, and she seemed to be a lot calmer than she'd been when they'd brought her to the surface. She was actually smiling which, while she'd done that before, this time it looked a lot more natural.

Ianto offered his arm to Xia, and the Chinese dragon accepted gracefully. Lisa took Grandtad Ianto's other arm, and together the three of them joined the rest of the party, where Xia was introduced to the newcomers to the party.

Merlin wasn't expecting what happened next.


	6. Chapter 6

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Six  


Author: ;Milady Dragon

* * *

 ** _10 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

Ianto saw it the moment Xia was formally introduced to Nathan.

There was a sudden, tangible, energy buzzing in the air as their eyes met, Nathan's widening almost comically as Xia blushed under his regard. Ianto's grandson took a very hesitant step forward, but stopped suddenly, as if he'd run into a permacrete wall, his gobsmacked expression turning shy.

Nathan Jones-Coulson wasn't, by nature, shy.

This…was completely unexpected.

Nathan and Xia were mates.

Over his lifetime, Ianto had seen many of his children find their mates. There was usually some form of recognition; however, this was the first time the dragon had witnessed something like this. It was as if the two young dragons had inexplicably been bound together, by magic or something more Ianto couldn't say. He could tell that Merlin must have caught something, judging from the quick flash of gold in his eyes and the pleased smile on his lips, so at least Ianto wasn't imagining it.

There would have been a time, not all that long ago, that the dragon would have claimed that two such children were far too young for this sort of thing. Nathan was only two hundred thirty-six, and while Ianto didn't know _exactly_ how old Xia was, he could guess from what she'd told him and it wasn't that much older. It shouldn't have occurred, not yet, but then Nathan might have been young in years but he was certainly quite mature, and Xia had been through something that had changed her irrevocably, so Ianto knew she'd be growing up very quickly, for all of her innocence.

However, he couldn't deny the magic that had just happened.

"Xia says she's ready to tell her story," Lisa spoke, breaking the strange tension that had filled the atmosphere. Her eyes kept darting between Nathan and Xia, and Ianto could tell the moment she worked it out by the hastily stifled surprise that flickered across her face.

No one else seemed to have noticed. Ianto was going to have to tease Jack about it later, since he was usually a lot more observant about such things. He'd been the one to realise that Emlyn had found her own mate, even before their daughter had.

For now, since Lisa had already brought attention to the fact that Xia had agreed to share her tale, they were stuck with it. Otherwise, the dragon would have hustled both of them away and helped them get to know each other better. It would have been devastating if they didn't get along.

"Yes," Xia said, having to clear her throat once in order to get that single word out. Her eyes were still staring into Nathan's, as if she was trying to drown herself within them. "I…my story…yes, I should tell it to you all now."

No one appeared to think anything was wrong with her shyness, although Ianto could tell that his own mate had finally gotten a clue about what was going on, as he was smirking up a storm. Nicole also must have realised; she prodded Carys with her elbow, leaning over to whisper in her cousin's ear. Carys grinned like a maniac as soon as Nicole's words reached her, and began hopping up and down in excitement…until Nicole wrapped an arm around her shoulders in order to get her to stop.

"Shall we?" Ianto urged, wanting to get this over with so he could speak to both of these dear children. "We should get comfortable."

Turning, he practically dragged Xia back into the tent. The plan had been for them to stand outside in order to get out of the somewhat stuffy tent, Xia pleading that she'd needed some air, but that had changed the moment the Great Dragons decided to be sneaky again. Yes, he was blaming them, because they were meddlesome old gits who couldn't keep noses out of things, even though they weren't physically present at the moment.

This could end wonderfully…or could be an unmitigated disaster. Ianto wasn't sure which it would be.

He got Xia back inside and seated on her chair. Unerringly, Nathan moved forward to sit at her feet, not touching but close enough if she decided she wanted physical contact. Ianto couldn't help the pleased smile at his grandson's restraint, in wanting Xia to be the one to initiate anything. That young dragon had been taught well. He'd have to thank Clint and Phillip for it later. His fathers would be just as pleased, the dragon knew, both by the show of manners and the gaining of a daughter.

For now, there were still things to do before he could do the more formal introductions for the new mates.

Goddess, he was going to have to plan the official mating as clan Patriarch, wasn't he? If he left it to Jack, it would have been a blow-out of epic proportions. Not that he didn't have time, because they were both too young for that sort of thing just yet, and he was going to insist on a long courtship. Besides, Nathan's entire family would insist on being involved, and while Phillip could plan a successful Torchwood operation with a concussion, two broken legs and absolutely no viable intel – he'd seen him do it while at SHIELD, back in the day – Clint would be utterly hopeless, Skylar and Daisy wouldn't be able to stop teasing their older brother, and Nicole…well, Nicole would be able to keep her attention on the details. Maybe he'd ask for her input, after all.

Everyone else piled into the tent. Jack took up the same position as Nathan had, seated at Ianto's feet, a clear sign to their grandson that he'd done exactly right. Nathan gave them both a quiet smile that really only reached his eyes, but was all the more brilliant for that.

Doctor Shen brought in two more chairs, which he and Professor Kong took. Lisa was in the last chair, next to Xia, while Nicole, Carys, and Wang sat in a semi-circle on the tent's floor.

"Whenever you're ready," Lisa said soothingly.

Xia nodded nervously. "Thank you, Lisa. I shall begin."

The story she told was short, but no less heart-breaking for its length. Xia had been born in what Ianto had decoded as being May of 1254, Old Earth Calendar, her family being close to the Emperors of China. They had been happy…until the northern invaders had come.

That was when the dragons had started dying out.

The invaders had believed that getting rid of the dragons would mean that China would become weakened enough for conquest. By the year 1449, there were only a handful left…including Xia herself.

Ianto mourned with her. Humans seemed to have been destined to destroy races they didn't understand, although apparently dragons had survived in China long after the rest of their kind had been brutally murdered.

"The Hongzhi Emperor decided to rebuild this section of the Great Wall," Xia continued. "He came out for an inspection when it was done, and asked me to accompany him. I…didn't know what he'd had planned, but he and his wizards lured me into the cavern under the Wall on the pretence of finding some sort of old dragon hoard…only to discover that my own hoard had been moved here without me realising it. I was slipped a sleeping draught at some point during the meal we shared, and it was powerful enough to affect me long enough to get me into the cavern, and yet to keep me from changing into my dragon form until we'd arrived. Once there, the Emperor explained that he was doing this to protect me, because I was so very young and not prepared for the war that was coming. He…also wanted to preserve one dragon, so that one day his descendants would come and find me." She sighed. "That plan seemed not to have come to fruition."

This certainly lined up with the myth of the Onyx Empress, although some of the details had been different. It would never cease to amaze Ianto just what sorts of stories survived the centuries, and in forms that were just off from the truth.

Ianto reached over and clasped her hand. "He meant it for the best, but I can understand why you'd disagree with it."

Xia clutched at his fingers. "One day I should like to hear your story, Lord Ianto Jones."

"And you will, I promise you that."

Jack snorted at the title Xia had given him, but kept his comments about the whole Lord thing to himself. Ianto knew, though, that he'd bring it back out at some point, just as he did sometimes with the Knighthood he'd once received. Being called the Torchwood Dragon didn't really affect him any longer, having accepted that particular title a very long time ago. He even revelled in it sometimes.

Ianto watched as, unconsciously, her other hand rested on Nathan's head, her long, graceful fingers carding absently through his silver-white hair. Nathan had his eyes closed, simply enjoying the quiet gesture, and the dragon was certain he would be purring if they weren't with non-family members.

He was already smitten. This might end well, after all.

The gesture, though, was getting some stares from Kong, Shen, and Wang. They were all three puzzled by it, yet no one said anything. They didn't understand, and Doctor Shen not getting it was slightly puzzling, since he appeared to be the dragon expert on their archaeological team, but perhaps that was a good thing. Matings were personal and private, and non-clan members didn't need to understand.

"I can't believe they actually moved your hoard," Carys murmured.

"As much as the Emperor and his court loved the idea of having their own, personal, dragon," Xia answered, "they did not understand the Pacts governing a dragon's hoard. I know they meant well, however badly it was done. As they are all dead now, wanting to get vengeance for it would be an untenable position to take." She leaned forward. "Perhaps, you might also tell me your story as well, Lady Carys? I would like to hear how you came to be Lord Ianto Jones' granddaughter."

"Of course I will," she answered. "And I'm not a lady. I'm simply Carys."

Xia nodded in acknowledgement at her request to drop the honorific. "And I have no understanding of how Nathan and Lady Nicole look so different. Not that I mean any offence by it…"

"No offence taken," Nicole assured her. "But I think our stories can wait until after you've learned more about our time. Otherwise, it might be a bit confusing." She gave Nathan an amused look, where he was sitting and eating up Xia's attentions. It was also apparent to her that Xia hadn't used 'lord' when it came to Nathan.

Ianto thought it was adorable. Really. Now, perhaps, Nathan might give his Dads a break when it came to their public displays of affection.

Or not. Anwyn never had where her own fathers were concerned.

"I have the feeling you are correct, Lady Nicole."

"Please…it's just Nicole."

"Thank you both for that familiarity."

"Xia," Professor Kong began, and Ianto stiffened slightly, knowing what was to come, "I was hoping I might get your permission to look more closely at your hoard. I won't take anything from it, but it's interesting to me due to its great age. It would help us to learn things about the time you came from."

The Chinese dragon shook her head emphatically. "I am sorry, but I must deny you that. A dragon's hoard is sacrosanct, and it would be wrong for a non-dragon to disturb it."

The professor looked disappointed, but at least she didn't press the issue. For which Ianto was very grateful. He really hadn't wanted to pull the Patriarch of the Star Dragons card.

Although, technically, Xia wasn't a Star Dragon…yet. If she and Nathan decided to take their mating to the next level, then yes, she would become a part of the clan. It was something he was going to need to speak to them both about.

That was, if they _wanted_ to do that.

"I understand that I will have choices to make," Xia murmured, her voice small, hand still stroking through Nathan's hair. Ianto didn't think she even knew she was doing it. "But I don't know what those are, yet."

"You have time," Ianto assured her. "Lisa will make sure you have the information you need to make those decisions, and when you do we'll do everything we can to support you."

She gave him a small, grateful, smile. "I thank you, Lord Ianto Jones."

"You are a dragon. It's my duty to help you in any way I can."

He didn't add that she was pretty much family now, with what had just occurred between her and Nathan. He didn't need to bring that up, to add more pressure to her than what she was already feeling. Besides, it was a personal matter, not to spoken about in front of strangers.

He'd get them together privately, and explain. Consciously, the pair didn't seem to be aware of their new status, which wasn't surprising. No, he'd have to explain, and help as best he could.

There was such an expression of relief on Xia's face that Ianto had to force down the urge to hug her. Instead, he simply squeezed her hand, making certain she could see his support and certainty.

"I think we're done for now," Jack said, getting to his feet. "Xia looks tired, and we might want to give her a little space."

"But I have so many questions!" Shen exclaimed.

"I'm sure you do, but we have time. We should let Xia rest for a bit."

With that, Jack began to usher them all out of the tent. When Nathan went to stand, Jack held his hand out, palm flat to the ground; their grandson received the silent message, and sank back down, trying to be invisible to those who were being shown the door. Lisa got up and moved in front of him, to cover his remaining behind, and arranged to be the last person out.

"I'll be back in the morning," she said. "We'll talk about options for the future."

"Alright," Xia answered. "I shall."

With that, Lisa left, the three of them alone now.

"I believe the three of us need to talk," Ianto said.


	7. Chapter 7

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Seven  


Author: Milady Dragon

* * *

 ** _10 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

Nathan didn't know what was going on, only that he felt…weird.

It had to do with the new dragon, Xia. The moment his eyes had met hers…something _changed_. He didn't understand it, only that he had the sudden, nearly overwhelming _need_ to be with her. He'd never experienced anything like it before, and it was frightening yet exciting at the same time. He thought that might have been why he'd decided to sit next to her. It was as if something inside him craved that sort of closeness.

Granddad Jack had taken the exact same position with Grandtad Ianto that Nathan had with Xia. That had to mean something, hadn't it?

And when she'd run her fingers through his hair…his family was always ruffling it and he hated it, but this…this was different. It felt right, like Xia's touch soothed something deep within his soul, and he wanted it to never stop.

He suspected that his family knew what was going on.

He suspected it was going to change his life forever.

He suspected he might know what it was, but a part of himself simply didn't want to believe it.

Nathan looked up at his Grandtad. He trusted Ianto with his life; the only people he trusted more than his grandparents were his Dads, so he parked his arse back on the ground when Granddad Jack motioned for him to do so. Besides, he really didn't want to leave Xia, and he got the feeling she didn't want him to leave, either.

Once they were alone, Grandtad Ianto regarded them both. "Something's happened."

Xia's breath hitched. "I…thought I was wrong."

"No, sweetheart." He gave her an encouraging smile. "You're not wrong."

Nathan suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. "Is it…?" he managed to squeak out.

Grandtad Ianto nodded sombrely. "You're mates."

Gasping, Nathan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. It seemed impossible. He might like to think he was an adult, but in dragon years he was really just a kid. He hadn't even _considered_ a mate, not yet.

Oh Goddess…what would his _Dads_ say?

A hand rested on his back, and without looking he knew it was Xia's. He straightened, twisting around so that he could look at her. She truly was beautiful, green eyes and black hair and skin so pale it seemed to glow. She was tiny, and graceful, and his complete opposite.

He could tell his attraction wasn't just physical. He wanted to get to know her, to court her, to someday fly the mating flight with her.

"Oh, children," Ianto sighed, "you are going to really need my help."

"Yes, please," Xia responded. Her eyes were glowing. "Lord Ianto Jones, I think we will need anything you can tell us."

"First of all, Xia, you're now my granddaughter. I think we can drop the 'Lord' now, don't you?"

That had her laughing. "You are correct." She suddenly looked shy. "Thank you for accepting me into your clan…Grandfather."

"You're quite welcome." Grandtad Ianto leaned forward. "Now, you do understand that you still have choices, correct? You and Nathan have plenty of time to get to know one another, and you don't have to do anything you don't want to do…"

"Yeah," Nathan added. "I'm just two hundred thirty-six. I honestly didn't think dragons could be mates when they were that young…"

"And I am two hundred and fifty-one," Xia volunteered.

"I foresee a very long courtship," Grandtad Ianto declared. "However, this will give you both plenty of time. For you, Xia, to get used to the differences in this new time you've awakened in, and for the both of you to get to know each other better. Besides, there are a lot of us, although I'm quite sure Nathan's fathers will want to meet you first…"

Xia looked nervous. "What if they do not like me?"

Nathan was pitifully glad that she hadn't made any sort of deal about him having two fathers, but then from what Grandtad Ianto had often said, dragons were far more understanding when it came to mating. Nathan's great-grandparents on the Jones side of the clan hadn't batted an eye when a very young Ianto had claimed that his destined mate was a male, from what he'd been told. So Xia accepting that he could have two dads was certainly a plus.

"Oh sweetheart," Ianto gave her a happy smile, "they are going to adore you."

"You've already met Nicole, my twin," Nathan added. "It's obvious she likes you."

Xia's fine eyebrows arched upward. "Nicole is your twin?"

"Yep. I also have a younger brother, Skylar; and a little sister, Daisy." He wasn't going to get into reincarnation, because Nathan didn't think that Xia would be ready for that just yet. Explaining Daisy and his Dad was going to take a _lot_ of preparation. Or the fact that one of his Dads had carried all the kids…except for Skylar. Men being able to get pregnant was something she'd have absolutely no experience with _at all_. "Will you let me take you home to meet them someday?"

"I would like that very much. I lost my own family. Having another one is something I had not thought possible."

"Just understand that you're welcome in our clan, Xia. As Patriarch of the Jones Clan, I formally welcome you into our home and hearth and hearts. But, please make sure you understand that you have plenty of time to settle down. There's an entire universe out there to explore, and you might decide you'd like to travel before finally getting that mating flight. You might even decide that having a mate is not something you'd want."

Disappointment stabbed through Nathan at the very notion that Xia might not want to become his official mate. He knew he wasn't much to look at, with his Margath/dragon genetics, but he hoped she'd be able to see past that, once he explained about his other biological dad and that he'd been from another world.

Would that be too much for her? Xia was from so far back in the past that the idea of other planets and races out there in the universe would have seemed like fantasy to her. What if she had trouble dealing with that sort of thing? Oh, Nathan trusted his Aunt Lisa to do her best, but even he knew there were sometimes failures. What if Xia was one of those failures? What would he do without her?

Xia must have noticed his winding himself up, because suddenly she was kneeling next to him, taking his hands in hers. "I do not know what you are thinking, but please stop. None of us know what the future will bring; however, I do know this: you will not be alone. I will be with you. We were meant to be, Nathan, and that is something that cannot be denied. I am certain we shall have our trials, but we will come through them, and when it's time for the mating flight we shall fly high and free and it will be together. We have eternity."

"You're right," he sighed. "It's just…I never thought about a mate, you know? I was always the strange one in the family, and while no one ever held it against me, I always thought…well, I thought no one would have me." He had to laugh. "And, of course my mate is from the past. That's just par for the course for this family."

Xia gave him an appraising once-over. "I will not pretend to understand why you are so different, and you will certainly explain this to me, but you are not unhandsome." Her fingers traced the light scaling around his face. "You are quite striking in appearance, as if you were truly half dragon, half human. I have never seen the like before. What is your dragon form like?"

"Actually, it's really close to your form, only I didn't get it the same way you did. For the longest time, I didn't care for my dragon form, because it was so different from the rest of my family's. They kept telling me that it was fine, that they all loved me, but there was still that doubt that I was wrong, somehow."

"What changed your opinion?"

"Carys was born. She's a genuine Chinese dragon. Hers is another really interesting story but, for now, let's just say my Aunt River saved her egg and brought it to us. Merlin – you met Merlin – he's the last of the Dragonlords, so he was able to call her out of the egg. My Uncle Gareth adopted her." He wasn't going to go into all that mess that happened afterward; that wasn't important at the moment. "But, see… she was like me. Or, I was like her. So I wasn't alone anymore."

"But, what of Nicole? You say she is your twin…"

Oh, shit…something else they'd need to tell her. "That's really hard to explain. Goddess, there's so much you need to know, and it's all probably going to confuse you…"

"Lisa has said she will help, as will Grandfather and his mate." She glanced up at Ianto. "How do I address him, as he would also be my Grandfather?"

"As I'm a Welsh dragon, all of the grandchildren call me Grandtad. It's not technically the proper Welsh term for what I am, but it's what they chose, and I didn't feel like correcting them on it. And Jack is usually called Granddad."

"Except for Arthur. He calls him Grandfather, because he's all stuffy and proper about it." At Xia's questioning gaze, Nathan added, "Arthur is my cousin. Merlin is his mate."

"I think we'll need to make you some sort of list of all the family members," Ianto laughed. "The clan is quite large."

"It does sound like so much to remember."

"You know we'll help you," Nathan said earnestly.

Xia gave him a bright smile. "Yes, I do."


	8. Chapter 8

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Eight  


Author: Milady Dragon

* * *

 ** _11 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

If Jack had given it any serious thought when he'd contacted Gareth to come and check on Xia, to make certain there wasn't anything wrong with her physically after her three-plus millennia-long nap, he might have warned his son to keep things quiet for a bit.

He really should have known better the moment he'd made the comment that their newest dragon was Nathan's mate. Or, at least he should have called Clint and Phillip first and let them know their eldest son now had a mate.

But, no. He didn't do any of those things.

 _Damnit_.

Gareth showed up promptly that morning, carrying his favourite medical kit and looking very smug. "Hey, Dad," he greeted as Jack gave him a welcoming hug. The best thing Ianto had done was include that portable transmat pad in with the kit he'd packed. But then, his mate was _always_ prepared.

"Thanks for coming on such short notice."

Gareth waved that off. "Anything for the newest member of the family. Besides, I wasn't in the middle of anything that couldn't wait." He didn't mention the fact that his daughter was there, and as she'd been off to university for the last several months, he was looking forward to seeing her.

But then, he didn't have to. Jack knew his son, and how much Gareth loved his little girl.

The immortal led his son up into the mountains, where Xia and Lisa were speaking away from the humans in the camp below. The other children had taken on guard duty; Carys, her distinctive yellow and red form bright against the weathered stones of the Great Wall, was higher up, looking down onto the outcropping Xia had chosen for hers and Lisa's meeting. The moment she saw them approaching, she was up and flying toward them, transforming into her human form even before her feet touched the ground.

"Hey, Tad," she hugged Gareth.

"Hey you too, darling," Gareth said warmly.

"Anyone try to disturb Xia and Lisa's session?" Jack enquired.

"Doctor Shen did," Carys reported, "but Nicole chased him off easily."

Jack looked up at his other granddaughter, her own silver-white and black dragon form curled up on a shelf a few hundred feet above their heads. She gave them a toothy grin, then settled back down into watchfulness.

"And Nathan?" Jack could make out his grandson, sunning himself on a stone just within hearing range of Lisa and Xia, his own dragon body sprawled out and his eyes pinned on the pair of human forms chatting nearby. He just knew that Lisa was aware of his eavesdropping, but had most likely decided not to call him out on it.

Carys rolled her eyes. "He's mooning, Granddad. It's terrible to watch." She glanced at her father. "Tad, promise me you'll poke me if I ever act that way when I find my mate."

"No promises," Gareth teased. "Come on, I want to meet this mystery woman of Nathan's."

They continued up the trail, only stopping when a trumpeting roar sounded out over the area. His eyes tracking upward, Jack caught sight of his mate flying overhead, wings practically still as Ianto expertly rode the updrafts. He gave the dragon a jaunty wave as he accompanied Carys and Gareth up to the space Lisa had claimed as hers and Xia's.

Lisa had decided right away that having their discussions outside, in the fresh air, and instead of within the cavern, was for the best. Xia had been trapped within that place for a very long time, even if she was asleep for most of it, and Lisa had claimed it might have made their discussions awkward. Under the sky, with the wind and the sun, had been, in her expert opinion, the way to handle things. And doing any talking in the tent back at the basecamp was just asking for them to be interrupted, either by Shen – who'd attempted it anyway – or Kong, who was still hung up on the idea for getting into Xia's hoard. This way, they could keep a better lookout for any trouble. Besides, Lisa had complained about the tent being too stuffy.

Lisa looked up as they approached, giving them a wave to indicate it was alright to come up. Xia turned from where she'd been sitting, her smile shy. "Hello, Grandfather," she said. She was wearing a more up-to-date dress this morning, although it did have an undeniable Chinese flair to it, and he thought he should be thanking Lisa for having arranged to have it brought out to the site. Her hair was pulled back into an ornate braid that had been coiled about her head, held up by the same jewelled pins she'd been wearing in it yesterday.

Jack's heart warmed at her calling him that. "Hello, sweetheart. Xia, this is Gareth – "

"Carys' father?" she asked, her smile turning a little brighter.

"That's right," Gareth confirmed. "I'm also a medical doctor, and Dad asked me to come and check you over, just to make sure your long sleep didn't affect you in any way. Do I have your permission?"

Xia nodded. "Yes, I can understand. That would be fine."

"I'll want to examine you in your dragon form."

Her smile faded. "We will not be able to talk to one another. As Lisa has explained, the translator I wear will not change with me."

Gareth gave her his own sunny smile. "I came prepared with my own translator." He tapped his ear.

"Very well, Uncle Gareth."

The expression on Gareth's face went unbelievably touched. Jack could relate to that, every time Xia felt comfortable with calling him Grandfather.

Handing the translator earbud to Lisa, who moved down from their rock, Xia swiftly changed into her dragon form. Outside, under the sun, the blackness of her mane and tail tuft seemed to draw in the light like a singularity, and Jack could now understand why the ancient Chinese had named her the Onyx Empress in their myths. Although, from what he'd learned, 'Daiyu' was a form of black jade, which made even more sense in the context of those old stories.

The red of her scales was like fine garnets, and they glittered as she shifted into a comfortable position on the sun-warmed rock, as her golden face ruff caught the light and reflected it back. Jack clicked on his own translator as Gareth moved up next to her, setting his kit down onto a convenient outcrop and flipping open the latches. "Are you experiencing any sort of tiredness or lethargy?" he began, pulling on a pair of sterile gloves.

"No," Xia answered. "Although, my muscles have been feeling a little stiff."

"Most likely from laying in the same position for so long, even with the magic protecting you," Gareth commented. "That should pass." He ran a hand across her antlers. "Any issues with flying?"

"I do feel a bit sluggish."

"Not surprising. How long have you had this chip…here?" He rested a hand on the outermost branch of her right-hand antler.

"I…do not remember that being there."

Gareth hummed at that. "I want to get a closer look. Can you lower your head just a little bit more?"

Xia did so, resting her jaw on the stone. Gareth maneuvered himself between the rather impressive rack, feeling along the affected horn. "Dad, can you hand me the bone density scanner from my kit?"

"Sure thing." Jack pulled the device from its niche within the case, handing it to his son. "Is it something serious?" he asked worriedly. Chinese dragons relied on their antlers to fly, using their inherent magic to do the most amazing aerial stunts. Watching Carys, Nathan, and Nicole fly was always a treat.

"Not sure yet," he muttered. "Xia, this is a specialised piece of equipment that I can use to check dragon bone with. Your antlers are just exterior extrusions of bone, so it will show me if there's anything we should be concerned about."

"This…is strange to me," Xia admitted, her head moving a little as she spoke, "however, I trust you, Uncle Gareth."

"Thank you for that, darling," Gareth said sincerely. He began to run the scanner over the entire branch. "I'm not seeing any sort of deterioration…I think this was caused on purpose."

"Why would someone do that?" Nathan's worried voice floated down from his perch. He'd also changed into his human form, Jack guessing to be able to use a translator of his own, the better to overhear everything.

"I don't know," Gareth replied.

"But I do not recall anyone damaging me," Xia said plaintively, shifting slightly.

"Maybe it was done after you were put to sleep," Jack suggested. "Could someone have taken it as some sort of souvenir? Or remembrance?"

"Anyone who knows what the antlers mean to a dragon would not have dared," Xia was angry now, jerking her head up and out of Gareth's light grasp. "Who would damage me in that way?"

Jack held out his hands, trying to placate her. "It was a long time ago, sweetheart. Now, if you'd relax and let Gareth take care of you…"

He could certainly understand why she was so upset, though. It ranked up there with stealing a scale from a dragon. He wanted to think it was done for a benign reason, because the only ones who seemed to have access to her after the sleeping potion and spells had been the Emperor and the wizards he'd used to enchant Xia and the cavern, and from what the young dragon had said it seemed to have been done in an effort to hide her away from these northern invaders that had been striking within China's borders.

Still, all the participants were long gone. There was no way to ask them.

Xia settled her head back down, so that Gareth could run some more scans of the affected area. A holographic representation of the area snapped on over the device, and Jack leaned forward, wanting to get a closer look at where the chip was. It was larger than Gareth's words had indicated; it was actually a rather long gouge through the black colour, showing a streak of white bone underneath. How was this not hurting, Jack didn't know, and he had to ask.

"I honestly did not notice," she answered quietly. "I have been aching a little, as I informed Uncle Gareth, and believed that the pain there was simply a part of that."

"I can mend it," Gareth said, "but you're always going to have a bit of a scar there. You shouldn't have any other problems with flying once it's healed."

Xia breathed out in relief. "Please."

"There's a bone knitter in the kit, Dad…"

Jack found it without difficulty. He took away the scanner and handed over the knitter tool, which Gareth promptly used over the spot.

"Now, this little machine will generate bone growth in the injured area," he told Xia as he worked. "It's not instantaneous, but it will be faster than if it healed naturally. I wouldn't recommend flying for the next couple of days, though."

"Medical knowledge has certainly grown over the many years I have been sleeping," she said in wonder. "And you have all of these miraculous machines…"

"It's going to take you some getting used to," Jack warned her, "but I think you can do it, Xia. I think you'll fit into this time just fine."

"I do hope so. I want to learn it all!"

Nathan laughed. "I want to show it all to you."

Xia's eyes softened. "I would like that very much."

Jack surreptitiously wiped his eyes. Ianto had told him about the conversation the three of them had had yesterday, and he'd agreed with his mate: that there should be a long courtship, but he had a feeling everything would work out in the end.

And then the entire Coulson-Jones side of the family showed up.


	9. Chapter 9

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Nine  


Author: Milady Dragon

* * *

 ** _11 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

"So," Phillip commented, the moment he and Clint appeared on the transmat, "where is this wonderful young lady who's stolen our son's heart?"

Jack didn't have time to reply before the transmat activated once more, disgorging Skylar and Daisy, both looking just as excited as Clint did. Phillip, though, was his usual unflappable self, but the immortal had known him long enough to recognise the pleased twinkle in his ice-blue eyes.

"Let me guess," Ianto snarked, "Gareth spilled the beans."

"I can neither confirm nor deny," the ice mage replied. "Although, if you'd let us know before my brother-by-mating had, we might have been content with a simple comm call."

Alright, Phillip had a point. "I didn't say anything because we didn't want Xia overwhelmed," Jack explained. "She's been through so much already."

"We get that, Dad," Clint said, "but Nathan needs us, too. And he's not about to leave while his girl is staying around the area."

"You're right, of course," Ianto admitted. "We honestly didn't expect what happened, and we may have handled it wrong."

"I do hope you did tell Nathan that him courting Xia will take centuries," Phillip said, as they all left the shuttle and headed up the mountain.

Ianto smirked, not having to really say anything.

"I can't wait to see Nathan being all dopey about a girl," Daisy laughed. "He's usually so level-headed."

"You are not to tease your brother about this, young lady." Clint cautioned.

Daisy shrugged, pushing her dark hair away from her face when a stray gust of wind caught it. "Dad, you know I love my brother fiercely, but it would only be fair after all the grief he's given Skylar over the years about his bouts of hero worship."

"Thanks for that, sis," Skylar said sarcastically.

"You're welcome," Daisy returned cheekily. She'd been embarrassed by it when it had turned out that she was the reincarnation of Daisy Johnson, Phillip's own 'adopted' daughter back in his old SHIELD days; Skylar had been named for that first Daisy, when she'd been calling herself Skye, and had grown up on stories about his namesake, so he'd been a little crazy when they all figured out who she'd once been.

At least Skylar had finally gotten over the fact that his younger sister was the very woman he'd been hero worshipping for all that time.

"Children," Phillip chided softly, not needing to raise his voice. He'd been ecstatic when it had been proven that his adopted daughter from all those years ago had been reincarnated as his biological daughter. "Do I have send you both back to Hubworld?"

Daisy gave a very exaggerated eye roll. "We'll behave," she huffed.

"She's right, Dad," Skylar echoed.

"After all," Daisy then grinned happily, "we want to make a good impression with Nathan's mate. We don't want to scare her away."

Phillip gave a put-upon sigh, while Clint pinched the bridge of his nose. Jack supressed the snicker that threatened to break out. Ianto poked him in the side, because he knew his mate and could tell that Jack wanted to laugh.

He leaned over and whispered, "At least Clint didn't bring his bow. We don't have to worry about any matings at arrow-point…"

Ianto snorted, and Jack knew it was despite his best efforts to contain it. "Phillip would keep anything like that from occurring."

"I think we need to make sure no more family members randomly show up," the immortal commented. "Because you know they will."

Ianto sighed. "I'll head back to the shuttle and comm call out to Ddraig Llyn. Perhaps I can nip any more surprise visits in the bud." With that, he turned and headed back, clapping Clint on the shoulder as he passed.

"Going to make sure no one else arrives without much warning?" Phillip teased lightly.

"We don't want to wreck any progress Lisa is trying to make with Xia's assimilation," Jack answered. "You know how bad it can get if something goes wrong."

Phillip nodded. "To be honest, I've already let the rest of the family know it would be a bad idea to want to see for themselves."

"So, you mean Ianto just went back to the shuttle for no reason?" the immortal had to laugh.

"Of course there's a reason. He can handle all of the questions I didn't have answers for."

"Sneaky bastard." Jack was actually a little impressed, which happened quite frequently when dealing with Phillip Coulson-Jones.

"I do try."

"Did Gareth find anything we should be worried about?" Clint asked.

"No." Jack went on to explain about the mysterious damage to her right antler. "That was it. Her body is a bit logy due to the extremely powerful sleep spell that was used, and for as long as she was under, but Merlin agrees with Gareth's diagnosis when he said she'd recover from that. He's ordered rest, and for Xia to remain earthbound for a couple of days, but she should make a full recovery."

"Excellent," Phillip said. "Does Lisa know what sort of time frame we're dealing with before Xia can make her decision about where she'd like to go?"

"She wants to stay around for a couple more days. Then, after Xia has had a bit of a lesson on this time zone, we'll see if she can handle being exposed to the future enough to move her, if she wants to leave. But, you know it's going to take her years to get caught up."

"It's going to be a long road for her," the ice mage agreed. "All we can do is to help her the best we can."

"Luckily, she's young," Clint added. "Youngsters are always more adaptable."

"Plus, she'll have Nathan," Skylar chimed in.

"Nathan's a good guy," Daisy agreed. "He'll take that sort of responsibility seriously."

"He'd do it even if she _wasn't_ his mate," Skylar concluded.

Both kids were right. Nathan was indeed a very responsible young dragon; he'd learned a lot during his time when it had been simply him, Clint, and Nicole; and then, later on, when he travelled with Morgan and her band. Jack knew he was one of the most mature of the younger generation, even though he wasn't even two hundred and fifty yet. He really would take his mating to Xia very seriously indeed, and want to help her even if that bolt out of the blue hadn't hit them.

As a matter of fact, every single one of the children had taken Xia under their wings – even if they didn't have any – and were determined to look after her the best they possibly could.

The immortal was quite proud of them all.

Jack led them up into the mountains. The younger dragons had decided to stay up on their perches after Gareth had left. This time, though, Carys stayed where she was, up high and with a good overview of the area; it was Nicole who came down, changing her shape and hugging her Dads and siblings in welcome.

Nathan joined them, accepting his family's congratulations with a shy smile that wasn't at all like him. Phillip put his hand on the back of the younger dragon's neck, looking him right in the eye. "You will do fine, son," he murmured. "I know this is scary, but it will all work out."

"We're all here for you," Clint added. "We'll help in whatever way we can."

Phillip and Clint's mating had been so very different, but at the heart of it all a mating was finding the person who was going to be spending eternity with you. Nathan had found that person, in a way that was completely unexpected…not that all matings weren't that. His meeting Xia was almost like Jack meeting Ianto for the first time; it had seemed impossible, on the face of it, that a man from the 51st century would be the mate of a dragon who had been born over five thousand years before. So many things had had to line up just right, and they had.

It was the same here. Nathan had been born in the 51st century, and Xia in the 15th. Talk about time-crossed lovers…

Well, not lovers yet. Both were far too young for that…

Then he had to back up a bit.

Alyce hadn't even been one hundred when she'd taken her first lovers. She and Casey and Davis were still together and, although the two mortals in the equation were so much older now, Alyce still loved them very much. Jack knew she was hoping they'd reincarnate, even though they never became full mates.

Jack thought that at least Casey might, but it most likely wouldn't be as the person Alyce wanted or expected. After all, she was carrying around the soul of Patrick Delaware, and the old Torchwood team was coming back, in dribs and drabs.

And he didn't want to get into Abraham's proclivities. He still considered it a miracle that his grandson hadn't gotten anyone pregnant yet.

Still, mating with someone was a very large step, and Ianto had been right to insist on a long courtship. Neither of the young dragons were ready to settle down, although he believed Xia might actually benefit from that. Nathan, still with a bit of Clint's old wanderlust in his soul, would only chafe under the demands of staying in one place until Xia was ready. He would really be the perfect person to show Xia the universe, since he'd seen a lot of already and wanted to see more.

"It's gonna be fine, bro," Daisy said, sounded positive.

"Yep," Skylar agreed.

"I'm kinda scared," Nathan admitted weakly. "This is so huge…"

"Of course it is," Clint agreed. "It's one of the biggest things that's ever gonna happen in your entire life. But you have us, and the rest of the clan, and we're all going to do our best to support both you and your mate through this."

The tiny smile Nathan gave looked a little awkward. "I suppose you're all here to meet her."

"If you think she's ready," Phillip answered.

"I am ready," came the quiet response.

Jack had been so focused on the family drama that he hadn't heard Xia and Lisa approach. His daughter stood a little away from the group, and Jack joined her, keeping a wary eye out for any sort of bad reaction to the unexpected meeting of Xia's new family.

Phillip stepped forward. "Hello. I'm Phillip, and this is my mate, Clint. We're Nathan's living parents."

The immortal nodded, glad that Phillip was recognising Halam Vir, Nathan and Nicole's biological father, who'd passed nearly fifty years ago, even if he wasn't coming right out and mentioning him. That could wait until later, when Xia had more of a background on how male pregnancy worked.

Xia shyly returned the ice mage's smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Father. And Father."

Clint was grinning so widely Jack wasn't sure how his cheeks weren't splitting. "I'm going to hug you now, if that's alright."

She seemed a bit startled by that, but Xia nodded and allowed Clint to put his arms around her. Jack had to wonder just how much affection she'd gotten back in her own time, if she'd been surprised by the request.

He eventually released her, although Jack could tell it was somewhat reluctantly. Phillip introduced Xia to Skylar, and then Daisy, who complimented her dress and offered to go shopping with her whenever she was ready for that sort of thing.

No one had gotten into the fact that both Daisy and Clint were reincarnations, but Lisa thought it was far too early to get into that sort of thing. There were far too many other things Xia needed to learn, and reincarnation wasn't even pinging on Lisa's Intake radar. It wouldn't matter anyway, since Xia hadn't known any of their past lives, so it had been decided to wait and explain that sort of thing to her later.

"Pardon my rudeness," Xia said, once the introductions were complete, "but Father… are you and Daisy different? Are you wizards? Only…it is a magic I am not familiar with. And Daisy is _very_ cold…"

That had Daisy barking a laugh. "I take after my Dad."

Phillip reached across and grasped Xia's hand gently. She gasped a little at the immortal's chilly skin. "I'm an ice mage, and Daisy inherited that ability from me. It's a different form of magic that you can see in Nicole and Merlin."

He then released her hand and, holding his own out, palm upward, Phillip conjured a tiny ice sculpture of a tree, the branches holding batches of delicate-looking leaves. It was only about six inches tall, but so intricate even the veins in the leaves were visible. Phillip's control had only grown over the years, but there were still times when his ability still surprised Jack.

Xia gasped in astonishment, one finger reaching out to touch the sculpture, yet she paused when she was within range. "That is amazing, Father." Her smile was joyful at the display.

"I can't do that yet," Daisy said, sounding disappointed, "but then Dad's had a lot more practice than I have."

Which was true, but then Daisy, in her previous life, had been known as the superhero Quake. The ice magic was completely different from the vibrational powers she'd had back then, but having that knowledge was making it a little easier for her to learn what Phillip was teaching her. She had the mental capacity; now, she just needed the practical experience.

"We just wanted to meet you," Phillip said, dismissing the ice from his hand. "We also wanted to make certain that you know you would be welcome in our home at any time. I know it will most likely be awhile before you're ready, but you're family now, Xia. You're our daughter, and never doubt that."

Tears were glittering in her green eyes. "I lost my family, although it was not so long ago, as I remember it. However, I never expected to find another one. Thank you for your welcome, Father. Oh, I hope you do not mind me calling you both that."

"Not at all," Clint said. "Phillip's right… you _are_ our daughter, now. It's only right that you do."

"We won't stay long this time," Phillip added. "We understand that all this is new to you, and we don't want to overwhelm you too much. Just…come home when you're ready. It's your decision when that happens. We don't want to force you into anything you don't want to do."

"You have all been so kind to me," Xia proclaimed, her voice choked with tears. "Thank you for that, and for welcoming a stranger into your home…and your clan. There is so much I want to ask, but I am not certain _how_ to ask it."

"Just ask," Skylar encouraged her. "We'll answer as best we can."

"That…sounds wonderful. I shall do that."


	10. Chapter 10

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Ten  


Author: Milady Dragon

* * *

 ** _11 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

Nathan's family had been _fantastic_.

Not that he hadn't expected them to be.

Sure, his siblings hadn't teased him once, but he figured it was a combination of not wanting to upset Xia and to give the best impression they could; also, he was entirely certain that his Dads had put their foot down on any sort of ribbing that Nathan just knew would be coming his way. He was grateful for it, really. This whole mating thing was still too new for him to joke about it.

Daisy, though, was the one who seemed bound and determined to befriend Xia.

His sister would be a good influence on his mate. Well, not really an influence…but perhaps she could be someone that Xia would want to be friends with. Daisy was independent and intelligent and kind, with a backbone of pure space-hardened steel, who didn't put up with anyone's shit. She'd be perfect for Xia, as a sister and as a protector.

Although, the Dads' credit accounts might very well take a hit if they ever went shopping together. Daisy could be a terror, but if she had a new 'project' to outfit…yeah, it was a good thing both their Dads had enough money to go around.

After a little while, though, Xia pled tiredness, and the impromptu family gathering broke apart. After a round of hugs and goodbyes, Nathan's Dads and brother and sister were gone, being escorted back to the transmat by Granddad Jack, who seemed pleased by events. Nicole kissed Nathan on the cheek and then followed, to spend a little more time with the family before they headed back to Hubworld.

Lisa immediately checked on Xia, to make certain she hadn't been overwhelmed by the family reunion.

"Not…overwhelmed," she answered faintly. "I…have never felt more love and acceptance, not since my own parents died. They truly love me, although they do not know me."

"That's the Jones clan," Aunt Lisa grinned. "We've got more than enough love to go around, and we're not afraid to share."

A roar sounded, and all three of them looked up as Carys flew overhead. She'd stayed at her watch post throughout the meet and greet. When Aunt Lisa has suggested coming to the mountains in order to get away from the camp, they'd each decided to keep an eye out for anyone encroaching onto Lisa's session with Xia, although Nathan had parked his dragon arse close enough to overhear what was being said. No one seemed to mind; in fact, Xia appeared to appreciate his presence, so he didn't even pretend not to be eavesdropping.

"I think I want to go and sit in my hoard," she went on. "I need…the comfort."

Aunt Lisa nodded. Nathan could understand it. There were times when a dragon just _needed_ their hoard. It was a biological imperative to have one, and it was also one to spend time in it as well. It was the reason Tad had several: the major one being in Ddraig Llyn, in the cellar of the Green Dragon Inn; and the other one on Hubworld, which had become the Archives there. After all, there was a reason the Torchwood Archives had long been nicknamed The Hoard. There were other, minor ones, but they were scattered about in places that his grandparents would likely to live for short periods of time.

"Can you get there alright without flying?" Lisa enquired.

"I can…if Nathan helps me." She gave him a sweet smile, one that had Nathan's heart swelling.

She was inviting him into her hoard.

That…was a very big deal.

Nathan swallowed, hard. "I…I'd be glad to."

Aunt Lisa was glancing between the pair of them. She waggled her finger. "Don't get up to anything. Tad will have your hides if you take this too fast. And don't get me started with what Phillip might do."

He immediately felt his face get hot because of her implication. Xia was blushing as well. "Neither of us is ready for that, Aunt Lisa."

Xia nodded, too embarrassed to speak.

She gave them both a piercing look, and Nathan wondered if she was _seeing_ their future actions. Sometimes she could be downright scary with that prophecy stuff, although it had proved downright useful at times. "Then I'm going to head down to the camp. Come back when you're ready."

Hugging them, Xia first and then Nathan, Aunt Lisa changed into her own dragon form, and took off toward the archaeological site, leaving them alone on the side of the mountain.

"I have to apologise for her," Nathan stammered.

"No, you do not have to do that, Nathan. She, and everyone else, are simply watching out for us." She reached out and took his hand. "Now, come. I would like to show you my hoard."

Letting go – and Nathan missed her touch immediately – Xia was in her dragon form and climbing down the mountain, gracefully slithering over outcrops and boulders with little effort.

Nathan did the same, at home in his dragon skin for perhaps the first time ever. He'd accepted his strange body ever since he'd seen Carys, and Nicole gaining her own dragon form had certainly helped, but knowing that his mate was the same as he was…it was liberating in so many ways. He hadn't even been aware that there had been still some vague discomfort in being a dragon until it was completely gone.

He followed her gladly, allowing himself to daydream a little, wondering what their mating flight might be like someday. However, as much as he might look forward to that, Nathan found himself thinking more along the lines of the life his Dads had, and his Granddad and Grandtad. They were so at ease with each other, sharing the little things, spending time with their mates and simply enjoying their company. Now, to Nathan, that was what a true mating was all about: being with the person you were meant to share your eternity with. While he was certain the mating itself would be nice – he was past the age when he considered such things as gross, even though he liked teasing his Dads when they got too mushy – it was the notion of helping and supporting and standing by the person who meant the most to you in the universe.

He was quickly realising that this person, for him, was Xia.

They might not have known each other for more than a day, but Nathan found himself _wanting_ to spend time with her, to show her the wonders he'd seen. To maybe introduce her to travelling, to seeing the Human Empire in all of its glory and, yes, even its darkness. To do good works beside someone who understood him in ways his parents simply couldn't, and to understand Xia in return.

Perhaps he was being the sappy romantic his Dad would often accuse his other Dad of being. Maybe there was far more Phillip Coulson in him than anyone could guess. But Nathan wanted all of that more than he'd ever wanted anything before in his entire life.

Xia changed back into her human form once they reached the cave, in order to get to the cavern where her hoard was kept. Nathan followed her down into the darkness, letting his dragon vision lead the way down into the bowels of the Earth.

It was comforting, in a way, to be this deep underground. Nathan knew his Grandtad Ianto, with his close connection to the Earth Dragon, felt it more than anyone else in the family, but it was still there. "Do you feel the same way I do at being here?" he murmured.

Xia turned back to regard him, her eyes fully into their dragon aspect. There was a quizzical expression in them. "I know not what you mean."

"It's like…being somewhere holy," he struggled to express it. "Like we're so close to the Earth Dragon that he can actually touch us, only not physically…damnit, I can't put it into words…"

"No, I believe I understand. And yes, it is like a holy place here. I am glad you sense it as well."

She reached out for his hand once more, and Nathan allowed himself to be led, down the precipitous slope that led to the cavern. The very Earth breathed around them, and somehow Nathan felt as if they were being blessed.

Merlin had used his magic to reseal the cavern, to avoid anyone disturbing Xia's hoard. She passed through the barrier easily and, since she was holding Nathan's hand, he was also allowed access. Once they'd set foot fully inside, the magical lights that his cousin had also left behind flared into life, dazzling Nathan for a split second, until he could shift his vision back into the human spectrum.

The treasures within were scattered a bit haphazardly around the cavern, as if whoever had placed them there hadn't known that there should be an order to such things. Xia made a hissing sound at the mess, glaring around her with her hands on her hips. "I suppose I should feel grateful that the Emperor had them include everything within my hoard."

"You can rearrange things to your liking soon enough," Nathan pointed out.

"Perhaps I will wait until I know where I will be staying."

 _With me,_ Nathan didn't say out loud. _Wherever that was._

"And at least I still have this."

She made a beeline toward the large black pearl that was resting on one of the cushions that had made up the nest. Nathan went with her, intrigued by such a large stone. "That is amazing," he breathed.

Xia reached down for it, and in a blink had transformed back into her dragon form and was settling herself into her nest. "You are welcome to take your own dragon shape if you wish. I believe we will both fit."

Nathan did so, snuggling up next to her, revelling in the sensation of warm scales against his own. He shifted a little, so that he could get a better look at the pearl she was clutching so closely.

She must have sensed his curiosity about it, because she said, "This is my memory pearl. It holds memories of my family."

Nathan's jaw dropped in surprise. Although, he supposed he shouldn't have felt that way. He lived around magic; if it wasn't his twin, then it was cousins, Merlin and Rory, or sister, Daisy, or his Dad or Aunt Lisa. Magic could do many wondrous things. Why not capture memories of people we'd lost?

It wasn't as if the same thing couldn't be done using the technology that Nathan was much more familiar with.

"I…would like to share them with you," Xia offered shyly. "If you would like to see them, that is…"

"I'd love to," Nathan blurted. "Please."

"Rest your hand upon the pearl…just here." She pulled his hand over to where she needed it. "Now…close your eyes."

Nathan did so, relaxing against Xia as if it was something he did all the time.

He had no idea how long he laid there, but eventually images began to form behind his eyelids.

 _-Two dragons, one red and one blue, in a garden, with a tiny child – Xia – playing around a placid pond._

 _-The blue dragon, laughing, as the red one performed a trick involving a long piece of silk that waved in the breeze like a banner._

 _-The child, now in a human form, reading something from a long scroll._

So many memories. And Xia was sharing them with Nathan.

It was quite possibly the best present he'd ever received.

They lay there, watching the happy memories of Xia and her family, until they were interrupted by someone calling their names.

Blinking his eyes open, Nathan turned toward the cavern mouth. Lisa stood there, just outside the new barrier, looking apologetic, the gold of magic in her eyes glittering. "I really am sorry to interrupt, but we need you both down at the camp."


	11. Chapter 11

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Eleven  


Author: Milady Dragon

* * *

 ** _11 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

Ianto should have guessed that Phillip would have told the entire rest of the family to stand down.

He felt a little like an idiot.

After all, his going back to the shuttle had meant that he'd had to suffer through a question and answer session with Anwyn, Gwaine, Henry, Rowena, their quads, Gray, Dylan and Dilys, and Morgan, who'd arrived in Ddraig Llyn just that morning. He'd explained things as best he could, and there had been quite a bit of rejoicing, equally split between, "Yay, new dragon!" and "Yay! Nathan has a mate!". He'd given them permission to pass along to everyone else what was going on, and to caution them not to descend, _en_ _mass_ , onto the Yanshan Mountains in order to ogle the newest addition to their family, only to get thoroughly scoffed at, Anwyn informing him that Phillip had already laid down the law, and "how could you think we'd do something like that?"

Henry and Rowena had been disappointed that Ianto hadn't invited them along, simply for the archaeological fun, while Robert, Carolyn, Andrew, and Margaret had all worn the identical expressions of smugness that would have done the Great Dragons proud.

Ianto had eventually disconnected the call, feeling a bit wrung out as if he'd just run a marathon. Honestly, he loved each and every member of this family, but they could be a demanding lot.

"I thought I saw you come back here," Merlin's cheerful voice greeted him as he left the shuttle.

"Yes, well, your Uncle Phillip didn't warn me that he'd informed the rest of the family to keep away until Xia was able to handle them all."

His grandson-by-mating laughed. "Yep, that sounds like Uncle Phillip."

Ianto rolled his eyes as the pair of them began the trek back up to the archaeological camp. "How's things with the scientists?"

Merlin shrugged. "Professor Kong still wants to get her hands on Xia's hoard, despite her comments to the contrary. Doctor Shen is wringing his hands because he wants to pluck every single secret out of Xia's brain about Chinese and dragon culture, and Wang just stood back and let them bicker. Liao must have taken what Doctor Shen said to heart because he was gone this morning, and there hasn't been hide nor hair seen of him.

That didn't disappoint Ianto in the slightest. Jack had explained what had occurred while he and Lisa had been in with Xia yesterday, and he was glad that Shen had ordered the student out of the camp. It angered him; Xia wasn't a possession, she was a person, able to make her own decisions.

Some might say that being Nathan's mate would mean she'd just lost her agency, but that wasn't true. Xia could still be his grandson's mate and have free will. She didn't have to settle down with him. She could go on and explore the universe, be whatever she wanted to be, and Nathan would have no say in her actions.

Even stay there in China, although Nathan would most likely stay with her if she wanted.

The entire Empire was out there for her to see, and taking the mating flight wouldn't be the end-all, be-all, of her life in the future.

Ianto knew Nathan. He knew his grandson would never force Xia to do anything she didn't want to. She had the power in this relationship; Nathan would do whatever she wanted him to. If that meant leaving her alone to find her own way, Nathan would do it.

Not that the dragon thought it would come to that.

He could easily see the pair of them travelling. Nathan had gained a not-so-healthy need to pick up and move on every once in a while, a gift from Clint back when he was avoiding being around the family out of fear that they would recognise him as the reincarnation of Clint Barton. It hadn't been time for that yet, but once he'd found his mate in Phillip, Ianto's eldest son had settled down nicely to start a family with the ice mage.

Nathan hadn't reached that point in his life, yet. In fact, he'd been disappointed when Morgan had announced her 'retirement', because that meant she wouldn't be touring any longer. Nathan had played roadie to several of Morgan's tours, and had hoped to get back out with her and her band, Starshine, but that wasn't in the cards, at least not yet anyway.

Perhaps this was what Nathan needed: someone to get out there with him, to explore with him. Would Xia do that? Would she be willing to see the stars with him one day?

A sudden roar of a sub-orbital engine cut roughly through his thoughts. Squinting upward against the sun's glare, the dragon saw the unmistakable shape of a shuttle coming in to land at the camp, the landing thrusters kicking up dirt and nearly blowing the main canopy down.

Somehow, Ianto knew this wasn't good.

Breaking into a run, the dragon made for the campsite, Merlin at his side. As he made it into camp, the main hatch of the shuttle opened, disgorging several people in official-looking robes…and Liao Tingfeng, out of his student garb and now wearing clothing that befitted a wealthy young man who wasn't afraid to spend his money on things he didn't need.

Or, who was used to getting his own way.

Doctor Shen stood, arms crossed, glaring at the approaching people. Ianto walked up to him, watching the strangers come closer. "Who are they?" he murmured.

"They are from the Chinese Regional Council," the Restoration Specialist answered.

Oh, this wasn't going to be good _at all_ , he just knew it.

Back when Carys has been hatched, the Chinese Regional Council had wanted to get her back, claiming that she was a national treasure and demanding that she be returned to her 'birth' country. The case hadn't gone well for the Regional Council, as the Adjudicators had recommended that EarthGov declare all of the orphans discovered by River Song as abandoned children, as their parents were all long dead. EarthGov had agreed, and the official adoption of Carys by Gareth had proceeded. Now, it was law that such children were foundlings, and no one could come back and try to take a recently hatched baby away from the only family they could remember.

The problem was, Xia wasn't an infant. She was still a child, not at her majority per dragon law, but she was still aware and could be recognised to make her own decisions. Ianto just knew that they were there for Xia, and they were going to try to force her to stay.

Well, that would be over his dead body.

Professor Kong joined them from one of the tents, Wang Xiaofei at her heels. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, standing next to Shen and making the five of them a united front against the forces of bureaucracy.

"We are here for the dragon, Professor," the man in front proclaimed haughtily.

Ianto took a step forward, smirking. "Here I am, then."

That had the official look down his nose, an impressive feat since Ianto was several standard inches taller. "Not you, Professor Jones. _Our_ dragon. The one that was discovered under the Great Wall."

"Zhu Xia Daiyu isn't yours," Merlin snapped. "She belongs only to herself."

Before the man could respond, Carys came in to land just on the other side of the camp area, her yellow scales and red mane a splash of colour against the dust of the clearing.

Ianto didn't care one bit for the look of avarice in the man's eyes.

Carys took on her human form, and the official must have recognised her in that shape, because that covetousness vanished, to be replaced by anger.

Ianto could tell his mate was approaching fast, but then he'd always been able to sense Jack. He must have seen the shuttle landing and was rushing to see what was going on.

The dragon hoped that Xia wasn't with him.

"Earth law says that any dragon children found are to be considered abandoned," Ianto pointed out. "Xia is a child by dragon law. Therefore, she cannot _belong_ to you."

The man shot a glare toward Liao, who came forward. "He's lying," the student accused. "Zhu Xia Daiyu is fully grown- "

Ianto had to laugh at that. "Then you have no idea about dragons, do you?"

The sound of running footsteps came closer, as did his sense of Jack. Ianto crossed his arms and continued, "According to dragon law, a child is not considered an adult until they have reached seven hundred and fifty years of age." He wasn't strictly lying; it was just that Ianto and Jack had decided to ignore that particular law, wanting their children to experience life and not be fettered by dragon expectation that was now out of date. "Xia is two hundred and fifty-one. Therefore, she falls under the current Earth law and you have no claim upon her."

"What's going on?" Jack's voice panted. He and the entire family of Coulson-Joneses – minus Nathan and Xia, thank the Goddess – lined up on one side, each and every one of them looking as if they wouldn't mind getting into a scrap with someone.

"They're here for Xia, apparently," Merlin ground out.

Carys hissed angrily at that, echoed by Nicole and Daisy. Phillip, Clint, and Skylar remained silent, although they each looked extremely pissed off.

"Slavery has long been abolished within the Empire," Phillip pointed out, his voice calm but his eyes had gone crystalline.

The man bristled. "This is not slavery! This is claiming something that is ours."

"Claiming someone?" Clint scoffed. "Sounds like slavery to me."

"Or an attempt at ownership of a living being," Jack added. "Oh wait…that's slavery, too!" Ianto knew Jack had very deep feelings on the subject, since his own brother had been taken by slavers when he'd been a child. Gray had been severely damaged by the act, and the last thing Jack wanted was for anyone else to have to go through that horror.

It was Lisa's turn to land, and to transform and join the party. Daisy took her aside and whispered an explanation in her ear, which led Lisa to look just as furious as the rest of them.

Ianto really hoped that Xia and Nathan weren't on their way down as well. The last thing Xia needed was to step into the middle of a pissing contest about her very future, when it should have been up to her to decide.

"This could get us a better look at her hoard," Kong mused.

Ianto narrowed his eyes at her. "Did you not hear me when I said that a dragon's hoard isn't something you should go poking around in without express permission?"

"But perhaps Xia could be convinced if it was pointed out to her that she is a Chinese citizen and it is her duty to the country?"

It didn't seem to matter than every single member of the clan present was glaring at the woman. All that she was paying attention to was her need to touch something that didn't belong to her.

"You will not gain access to that hoard without Xia's permission and over my dead body," Merlin snarled.

"And mine as well," Phillip added, his voice still perfectly calm. "Oh, and did I mention that I would be reporting this to the Adjudicators immediately? They frown upon attempts at coercing people into doing things against their will."

"You are not welcome here, Coulson," the official snapped. "Torchwood has nothing to do with this matter."

"I'm not here because of Torchwood. I'm here because of my connection to the Star Dragons. And that connection caused me to come and welcome a potential new member of my clan."

Thank the Great Dragons that Phillip was a paranoid arsehole who wasn't about to mention the fact that Nathan had recognised Xia as his mate. _That_ would have been a mess of epic proportions.

And it wasn't anyone's business outside of the clan. Not even the scientists had been told what had occurred yesterday when Nathan and Xia had first met. As far as they were concerned, the children were simply hanging around hoping to help.

"But we could learn so much!" the archaeologist exclaimed. "The treasures in that hoard are precious, a look backward on the Ming Dynasty! They should be preserved and studied, and not kept hidden away!"

Doctor Shen was staring at her in dismay. "Are you mad? Do you not know who you are surrounded by? These people have laws, and disturbing a dragon's hoard is considered a crime. It is Xia's personal property, and cannot be taken from her."

"Thank you, Dr Shen," Ianto said sincerely. "At least one of you understands."

"Professor Jones, I must apologise if any of my behaviours in the previous two days has led you to believe that I would willingly desecrate a hoard. I may have been overly zealous in the pursuit of knowledge; however, I would never have broken dragon law to do so."

He bowed low to Ianto, who returned it. Yes, Shen _had_ seemed just a bit too zealous, but at least he knew what he'd done and was sorry for it.

"We demand to see the dragon immediately," the official – who still hadn't introduced himself – demanded.

"I'm sorry," Lisa said, "but she's resting…in her hoard."

Kong was looking very put out, and Ianto wanted to laugh in her face. He was so very grateful that Xia was out of reach, and apparently Nathan was with her. He'd protect her with his life if necessary, but he was hoping it wouldn't be.

"Phillip," he called out.

The ice mage stepped forward, like a soldier ready to accept Ianto's orders.

"Please go to our shuttle and contact both EarthGov and the Adjudicators. Get them here at once." He didn't add that he was expecting Phillip to use the proverbial Torchwood card to convince them to get there as soon as possible, but figured that was best left unsaid.

Besides, his son-by-mating was extremely good at reading between the lines.

"Let me give you a ride down the mountain," Clint volunteered. "You'll get to the shuttle faster that way."

Without waiting for his mate to agree, Clint was out of the camp and changing into his dragon form. Phillip followed closely behind, vaulting up onto his mate's broad back, the deep purple scales flashing as Clint jumped into the air, wings flapping steadily as he flew from sight.

"Now," Ianto gave them all a smirk, "we wait."


	12. Chapter 12

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Twelve

Author: Milady Dragon

* * *

 ** _11 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

Jack was more than willing to wait for the authorities to arrive.

The Chinese officials, though, not so much.

The one in charge kept trying to throw his weight around, but Ianto wasn't having any of it. It was dead sexy, the way his mate just let the man's rants roll off his back like water from the Water Dragon's scales and giving as good as he got from the pompous asshole. He would need to show the dragon just how hot it was, when they got back home.

"You do realise you're outnumbered here," Jack commented after another attempt at intimidating his mate. "We have five dragons, one extremely powerful wizard, and me. I'm not counting the other dragon who should be back shortly, with his ice mage mate. I don't think you're going to be getting what you're after."

"He's right, you know," Merlin pointed out. "So why don't you calm your arse down and wait for the authorities to get here?"

"They can't," Nicole said. "Because they know they won't get what they want when EarthGov and the Adjudicators arrive."

"Very true, sweetheart," Ianto agreed.

"You do not have any claim on the dragon," Liao ranted. "It belongs here in China, and I can prove it!" With that claim, the young man removed the silver bracelet he'd been wearing; Jack had noticed it the first time he'd met the kid.

Liao turned it over, revealing a sliver of black that had been set within the bangle. It was rectangular, highly polished, but it wasn't any sort of stone Jack could recognise.

No, not a stone…

"Where did you get that?" the immortal hissed, taking a step toward Liao, who was holding the bracelet as if it was something holy.

"It has been in my family for generations," the boy boasted. "When I heard there was a project coming here to work on repairing the Great Wall, I maneuvered myself onto the team, knowing that the dragon would be here somewhere and hoping to find it myself."

"So," Ianto growled, "one of your ancestors injured a dragon? For what? A trophy?"

Jack put a hand on his mate's bicep, knowing just how close he was to launching himself at Liao. Gareth had shared what he'd found in his examination, and it hadn't gone over all that well, but they'd thought whoever had done it was dead and dust. Well, they were, but they hadn't taken into consideration a descendant still owning the piece of bone cut from Xia's antler.

"We are the protectors of the Onyx Empress, which gives our claim precedence," Liao crowed, seemingly unbothered by the fact that he had several pissed off people glaring at him. "My family aided the Hongzhi Emperor in preparing the cavern, and luring the dragon inside. We have long known the general whereabouts of the creature, although the exact location had been lost. When the earthquake hit, my father was the one on the Council who approved the restoration work on the Wall. He told me to gain a place on the team…which I did. I would have found our prize first, if it hadn't been for that idiot who literally stumbled into the cave! And the bracelet would have given me access to the hoard room, where I could have awakened the dragon and claimed it on behalf of the true protectors of China."

Ianto didn't even take the time to declare vengeance. He darted forward, knocking Liao into the dirt, making a grab for the offending bracelet and tossing it to Jack, who caught it easily, tucking it away into a greatcoat pocket. "That doesn't belong to you," he snarled, making himself at home on the kid's chest. With the dragon's weight, it had to have been really uncomfortable. "As we cannot bring charges against your ancestor for assault under Imperial law, we'll see what we can do under dragon law."

"You will let him up at once," the idiot in charge ordered.

Ianto bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Make me."

"Damnit, Ianto," Jack groused, "you are so hot right now and I can't do a thing about it!" Even after so many centuries, that dragon still had the power to completely turn him on. The immortal was _really_ pleased about that.

"Later," his mate promised, winking saucily.

"Tease." Jack pouted.

For one of the few times ever, none of the children or grandchildren commented on their flirting. Jack felt as if he should mark a calendar somewhere.

Liao was beginning to wheeze. Ianto didn't seem to care.

"I can always give him a case of frostbite," Daisy volunteered cheerfully. "I might enjoy that, actually."

"Thanks, sweetheart," Ianto said, "but he's actually quite comfy."

Carys regarded Ianto's newest seat. "He's turning an interesting shade, Grandtad."

"Purple really isn't his colour," Skylar mused.

"I think that's more puce than true purple," Lisa corrected.

"I shall have you arrested on charges of assault," the idiot in charge threatened.

"So worth it," Ianto said, not giving any indication of rising anytime soon.

"I'm pretty sure the slavery and coercion charges outweigh anything you might do to Ianto," Jack said lightly, glad that the trousers he was wearing today were just a little looser than usual. He would have been uncomfortable otherwise.

"You might want to let him up," Merlin observed. "I think he can't breathe, and you don't want him to die."

Ianto heaved a put-upon sigh. "You're right, of course." He climbed off the kid, who took a whooping breath as the dragon's weight was removed from his ribcage. "Death would be far too easy, I think."

"It shouldn't take too long for someone official to get here," the immortal pointed out. "Then we can head on home."

 _With Xia_ , was the unspoken end to that sentence, one that Ianto obviously heard.

Now, all they had to do was hope no one else pulled any sort of bullshit.


	13. Chapter 13

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Thirteen  


Author: Milady Dragon

* * *

 ** _11 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

It was a bullshit free zone for the hour and twelve minutes it took for Phillip and Clint to get back, along with a half dozen members of EarthGov Security and one black-clad Adjudicator.

At least it wasn't Alun. Jack knew that would have been a conflict of interest that could have come back and bit them in the ass later on.

This Adjudicator was humanoid, dark-skinned, and had a feline grace that had Jack wondering if she wasn't from one of the Wakandan colonies. Her head was shaved, tattoos in fine lines across the crown and onto the temples. A warrior, then, perhaps connected to the Royal Family.

She inclined her head regally to the gathering. "I am Senior Adjudicator Asha. Director Coulson-Jones requested my presence at this potential conflict, and has recused himself from these proceedings on basis of personal bias."

Phillip, just joining them along with Clint at his shoulder, nodded in agreement. "I haven't gone into any detail, preferring for the Senior Adjudicator to hear it for herself."

"A fact that I certainly appreciate." The Adjudicator regarded each and every one of them. Jack met her gaze squarely, not even considering backing down from that discerning look. "Perhaps someone should explain just why I was summoned?"

Jack turned to Lisa. "This is your bailiwick, sweetheart. I think it should be you."

Lisa appeared uncertain, but didn't have time to say anything before the official that had put his foot right into it interrupted, "You would listen to Torchwood's propaganda without hearing the true facts of the case?"

Lisa narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not here because of Torchwood. I was asked to come because my Fathers needed my help."

Adjudicator Asha held up a long-fingered hand in order to forestall the next tirade that was obviously coming. "And you are?" she enquired politely.

"Doctor Lisa Harkness-Jones." Lisa held herself a little taller, channelling a little of her inner Morgana. "I'm a Senior Intake Specialist with Torchwood."

"And yet you aren't here on behalf of the Institute?"

"No, Senior Adjudicator." She went on to explain what she knew about how Xia had been discovered, and how her parents had asked for her help in assimilating the new dragon into this time in an unofficial capacity.

"I see. So, as I understand it, I'm here because of some sort of dispute over this time lost dragon?" At Lisa's nod, Asha turned to Phillip. "I do believe that temporal refugees such as this fall under Torchwood's jurisdiction?"

"Usually they would," Phillip agreed. "However, as this is a temporally displaced _dragon_ , the Institute thought that the Jones clan would be the best to handle the situation."

Not that Phillip had actually _known_ about it at the time. Jack really was impressed once again by his old friend's ability to obfuscate.

"Besides," Merlin piped up, "this started as a request for a magical consult by Doctor Shen Huiliang." He indicated the Restoration Specialist. "I asked Professor Jones to come along, as the expert on dragons. At that time, we really didn't know what we were dealing with."

Ianto nodded. "It might have simply been the discovery of an incredibly life-like statue. As it happened, it was a real dragon, placed into an enchanted form of suspension, and she awakened once I set foot within the cavern where she was sleeping."

A tiny smirk decorated the Adjudicator's lips. "This sounds like something from an ancient fairy story. I trust that you didn't have to awaken the Sleeping Beauty with a kiss?"

Laughter broke out among the various family members, especially Merlin, who Jack knew was aware that such things really _did_ exist.

Ianto, though, shook his head, chuckling. "No. My mate is known to be jealous if I kiss someone that isn't him in that way, even if it's to lift a curse."

Jack couldn't argue with that. After all these centuries, he could freely admit he did get a little jealous. He just wasn't going to admit that out loud, instead giving Ianto a small shrug in acknowledgement.

That gesture earned him a sly smile, one that promised Jack a reward later on. On top of the wrestling, Jack was starting to feel the strain of not being able to jump his mate right then and there.

Damnit.

The Chinese authorities, to a person, were quite furious at the levity, and the amount of glaring they were all receiving was cooling Jack's ardour just a little bit.

Asha seemed to be ignoring them completely, her attention back to Lisa. "Doctor Harkness-Jones, can you please tell me the physical and mental status of…I'm sorry, but what is the dragon's name?"

"Zhu Xia Daiyu," she answered, "but she's asked us all to call her Xia."

"Thank you. Now, I would assume you have an assessment of Ms Zhu?"

"While it's only been a day since I began my intake, I can absolutely put on the record that Xia does suffer from Temporal Displacement Syndrome, and it's a pretty severe case." Lisa was beginning to relax a bit as she fell into her professional façade. "Xia is from the Old Earth Year 1505, so her knowledge of any sort of advanced technology is absolutely nil. My first thought was to keep her here, away from most technological influences. Goddess knows how she might have reacted if she caught sight of the official Chinese Council shuttle arriving." She gave a glare worthy of her previous life at the group of officials that had come in on said shuttle. "She does have a Torchwood issue translator, but she is convinced it's more magical than advanced tech."

Which wasn't far from the truth, Jack considered; after all, Merlin had created them, using a combination of magic and Time Lord science to get them as close to a TARDIS translation circuit as possible.

"I've had a couple of talks with her," Lisa continued, "and while Xia is aware that she's in the far future, she's still not reconciling it properly. Until she does that, then I would hesitate to let her loose into the greater universe."

"Do you anticipate any sort of mental collapse when that happens?"

"Xia is extremely intelligent, but it's obvious that she's been sheltered. From her perspective, she has lost everything she knew overnight. We can't rule out the chance of that happening if she's immersed too quickly."

"And physical damage?"

"My brother, Doctor Gareth Jones, performed a general medical examination, and Xia seems to have weathered the enhanced sleep without physical injury except for some residual muscle soreness. Post enchantment, she did receive an injury to one of her flight antlers, which is temporarily impairing her ability to fly. Doctor Jones has assured her that it will heal in a couple of days."

"Someone carved a chunk of bone out of the antler," Jack put in. He reached into his pocket for the bracelet that Liao had been proudly wearing, handing it over. "It was mounted into this."

Adjudicator Asha accepted the trinket, frowning at the piece of black bone that had been set into the silver. "Where did you get this, Captain Harkness?"

"From him." He pointed toward the rather battered student. "He bragged that it was a sign that Xia belonged to him."

"Apparently," Merlin added, "it was some sort of key that would have gotten him past the magical barrier on the cavern were Xia was kept. I can vouch for it being magical; I can sense it."

"Really?" She didn't sound at all impressed. Jack was predisposed to like her very much indeed. "Unfortunately, while we cannot charge him with assault over an injury done so many centuries ago, there are laws dealing the claims of ownership of intelligent beings."

"We were promised," Liao exclaimed. "My ancestors were the ones who helped the Hongzhi Emperor hide the Onyx Empress, and we were promised a reward."

"However, that reward isn't a living person," Ianto pointed out.

"Agreed, Professor Jones." Asha made her way toward the Chinese officials. "Now, I shall hear your side of this. What is the dispute you have with these individuals?"

The idiot in charge puffed out his chest. "The dragon was found on Chinese soil. Therefore, it has been classified as an historical treasure and should stay here, where it can be cared for and shared with our people."

"So, you intend on putting her into a zoo?" Once again, she certainly wasn't impressed. Jack was...by her. He made a mental note to ask Alun for a little background on the Senior Adjudicator. "Or, perhaps, a museum? I'm not certain of your plans for Ms Zhu."

"The dragon is of historical significance. We intend on using it for learning purposes."

"And you can't even call her by her proper gender?"

The man flinched back, as if slapped.

"He also seems to be in collusion with that one," Jack spoke up, indicating Liao. "If Liao doesn't have Xia's best interests at heart, then you can certainly doubt that he does as well."

"I honestly don't think they've, any of them, given this any thought," Ianto opined. "For one thing, Xia is a being with thoughts and wants and desires of her own. It should be up to her what she wants to do."

"But you would have her for yourself! Just as you've done before!" The man stabbed a finger toward Carys, who bristled at the sudden attention.

"As you are aware," the dragon went on inexorably, "Carys was completely adoptable under the Abandoned Child Act. And, I won't lie…I do hope that Xia chooses to join our clan. But that will be entirely up to her. We have always maintained that anything that Xia does, is her decision."

"Right now, though," Lisa cut in, "Xia doesn't have enough information to determine that. She's a young dragon who's been thrown far into a future she simply doesn't understand."

"Doctor Harkness-Jones," Adjudicator Asha said, "if Xia is given the choice, and chooses to remain in China, would you still be willing to help her?"

"Of course I would!" Lisa exclaimed. "I won't abandon her."

"We do not need your help," the official retorted hotly. Jack wished he'd gotten the man's name, because he was having trouble coming up with any more rude descriptors in his head. He'd have to move onto other languages besides Standard, Boeshane, or Old Earth English and Welsh. "We can aid in the dragon's assimilation. We shall teach it…her…all that she needs to know about Chinese culture and where her place in it would be."

"But you wouldn't give her a choice," Lisa snapped. "You'd keep her under your thumb. You'd leave her isolated, and you'd exploit her hoard in the name of research!"

"Oh?" the Adjudicator raised an eyebrow.

"Professor Kong has wanted to claim Xia's hoard for study."

That accusation had Kong stepping forward eagerly. "There is so much we can learn from the items in the hoard! So much history, and it's been buried in a cave. We should be taking it into custody, to study it, so we can learn more about the dynasty that created it! It's an unparalleled opportunity that we cannot let pass!"

The stony expression that crossed Asha's face had the professor taking a step back in surprise. "It is against both Imperial law and dragon law to touch a hoard without the permission of the dragon that has collected it. What you're suggesting is nothing less than theft, and it will not even be considered. If anything comes up missing, the Guild will come to you first. Is that understood, Professor?"

Kong went white, but she nodded. Doctor Shen gave her a superior glare, one that the immortal thoroughly appreciated.

Jack grinned. The smartest thing they'd done was send Phillip out for security and an Adjudicator.

Back in the old days of Torchwood, Jack would have just run roughshod over the rules and kicked these assholes out. He would have let Xia make her own decisions, without all this shit hanging over her like this. She wasn't even aware of what was going on, of that the immortal was certain.

Plus, there was this with Nathan. It was a blessing, but at the same time it could have been turned around and accusations of coercion could come toward the clan, especially by people who didn't understand what it meant to find your mate. However, if Xia eventually decided that she didn't want Nathan, his grandson would let her go, although he would be destroyed by it. Being mates meant that you'd found the one person who completed your soul, and who would spend all of eternity with you. It was a special bond, and Jack wanted that for every single one of his children and grandchildren.

Now, it was Nathan's turn.

He was far too young. But that didn't matter. The family would see both of them through this, no matter what direction it took.

"At the heart of this," Adjudicator Asha addressed them all, "is the well-being of the young dragon, Zhu Xia Daiyu. Now, I know what way I would rule in this case. Imperial law would prevail, in that Zhu Xia Daiyu is a sentient being with all the rights that entrails. It would be her decision to come and go as she pleases.

"However, we have the unusual circumstance of her being a temporally displaced individual, one that comes from so far in the past that her assimilation is going to be difficult. According to Dr Harkness-Jones, whom I recognise as an expert in the subject, she has stated that Ms Zhu is showing effects of her rather abrupt awakening in our time." She regarded Lisa. "What is your advice for aiding in her assimilation?"

Lisa considered. "For now, keeping her away from the most advanced technology. Not sheltered, by any reach of the imagination, but to protect her from any possible contamination until we can gently expose her to more and more, a little at a time. She'll need support, and to be honest I doubt she'd get it with these people." She waved a hand toward the government officials, who were steadily bristling with her words. "My advice would be to move her somewhere that doesn't rely on so much technology, and gradually teach her what she needs to know about this century."

"And what do you suggest if she isn't able to cope?"

"Then, we find her someplace she can live in peace. There are many frontier worlds that are low-tech. I believe she could be happy on one of them. I've had success with that sort of placement in the past."

Jack could tell his daughter was hoping that wouldn't be the case. That Xia would be able to adapt, and live her life around the people who were now her family.

He reached out, taking Lisa's hand in his. Daisy stepped up to the other side of her aunt, hugging her, and Jack could feel the faint chill that his granddaughter exuded, a gift from her ice mage father. "You did good, Aunt Lisa," Daisy murmured.

"Agreed, sweetheart," Jack said. "It's going to be up to Xia now, and I believe Adjudicator Asha knows that."

"Indeed I do, Captain Harkness." She favoured them with a smile. "Do you know where Ms Zhu is, Dr Harkness-Jones?"

Lisa nodded. "She went to rest with her hoard."

"Then, perhaps, we should send for her. I believe it's time for her to make her first important decision."

The Adjudicator was right, and Jack knew it. He'd just hoped to have been able to give Xia a little more time to get used to things.

Still, there was nothing for it.

"I'll fetch her," Lisa responded. "But I want that shuttle moved before we get back. It needs to be gone. I won't have Xia confronted with something she'd not ready for. I can only hope she hasn't seen it already."

"It will be done," Asha assured her. She glanced at Jack. "Captain, I understand you're a fully rated pilot?"

"I am," the immortal confirmed.

"Then, if they won't move it," she hooked a thumb over her shoulder at the huddle of Chinese officials, a pair of the EarthGov security troops watching them warily, "then I shall ask you to move it for them."

Jack gave her a sharp smile. "That would be my pleasure."


	14. Chapter 14

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Fourteen  


Author: Milady Dragon

* * *

 ** _11 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

Seeing Nathan and Xia lying there, looking so very peaceful, did something to Lisa's heart that felt a little like it was melting.

It was perfectly innocent, she could see that. But it was also cute and spoke more for them being true mates than anything else, that _need_ to just be with the person you're meant to have eternity with. In a split second, Lisa could _see_ them, a glimpse into the future with the one power she hated more than the magic that had been forced onto her by the late and not at all lamented reincarnation of Morgause Gorlois: happy, with children and grandchildren and a home on the world they were going to eventually settle on and a spaceship so they could travel, Nathan showing Xia the stars and them having the eternity they both so deserved.

She wiped the tears that had gathered in her eyes at that vision. Sometimes, her ability to prophesy was a _good thing_.

They roused, Xia setting aside the black pearl that obviously meant more to her than the rest of her hoard, and together the pair took on their human shapes. "What's going on, Aunt Lisa?" Nathan asked. He held his hand out, and Xia took it, and in that moment they were a united front against the world.

"There's been a…confrontation," she explained as the wards that Merlin had set up around Xia's hoard let them through. She went on to inform them about the government people, but didn't go into a lot of detail. She wanted Xia to make her own decision, despite what Lisa's vision had just showed her. If there was one thing she'd learned, time could be rewritten, and that lesson had come from the Doctor, who was just about the closest one to understanding her ability beyond the Great Dragons, and she trusted his wisdom.

"And I will be expected to decide what I wish to do?" Xia sounded scared, and how could Lisa blame her?

"You'll get both sides," Lisa said.

"Hey." Nathan pulled Xia to a halt, once they were past the slide down into the hoard cavern. He met her frightened eyes. "No matter what you choose, I'll be with you. You aren't going to be alone anymore. I swear it, Xia."

There was a faint rumble under their feet, as if the Earth was sealing the pact that Nathan had just made with his mate. Lisa, knowing the ways of the clan's Pacts and Vows, was certain that it had.

"You…hardly know me, Nathan. I do not wish you to base the rest of your life on what I choose to do."

"Silly," he chided lightly, "my life was yours the moment I recognised you as my mate. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

In one of the romance novels that Lisa would never admit to loving, it would be at this point that the hero and heroine would kiss. That wasn't what happened here, though. Oh, there was a meaningful glance, and for a split second she thought Nathan was going to do it, but he didn't. Instead, he gave her a nod, and together they resumed the trip out of the cave.

Once out in the sunlight, Nathan turned to Xia. "Uncle Gareth says you're not supposed to fly. I'll carry you."

Lisa wanted to make all sorts of noises at how adorable they were. Nathan and Xia might have been older than her, though not by much, but Lisa very much thought of them as younger. After all, she was carrying an entirely different life around in her head, as much as she didn't really want to, and she could recognise that it made her a bit more mature than her physical years.

That decided, Nathan took on his dragon form, holding out a foreleg in order to help Xia climb up onto his back. "This does not work for me," she managed to laugh as she settled herself. "It is not meant for a dragon to ride dragonback."

Nathan twisted his neck around, in order to glare down at her. "You are not flying, and that's final."

"I'd listen to him," Lisa advised as she, too, adopted her dragon form. "Nathan can be impossibly stubborn when it comes to someone he loves."

The smile that graced Xia's pale face was a wonderful thing to behold. "You love me?"

Nathan's own eyes went soft. "I could, you know. I could love you very much."

Damnit, no…Lisa was not going to cry.

Nope.

Oh, who was she kidding?

With a push off from her muscular back legs, the black dragon launched herself into the air, letting the updrafts from the mountains catch under her wings and propel her upward into the sky. Nathan was right beside her, his antlers glowing faintly with the magic that kept him in the air. While her nephew was of mixed heritage, dragon and Margath, that simply didn't explain his dragon form. Gareth had wanted to run some basic DNA regression tests, but both Nathan and Nicole had declined, the twins not at all certain it mattered. This was the way they were, and how they got there didn't matter to them.

Nathan, though… at least he was finally secure in his dragon shape. He really was quite handsome as a dragon, even if it sort of grossed Lisa out to think of her nephew that way. Still, she could appreciate the aesthetics of the Chinese dragon form, and it made a nice change from all of the European dragons that made up the clan.

Of course, there were those who didn't fit into that mould: Nathan and Nicole, Carys, and Bronwyn, who was a feathered dragon from the Central Americas. It had been her birth that had had Tad investigate closer what had happened to that branch of the dragon family, and had eventually led to him discovering the lost clan of the Quetzalin. He was still hoping to get some sort of information on where they might have gone.

All too soon, the camp came into view. Thankfully, the shuttle had been moved; Lisa hadn't wanted to tear someone a new arsehole if they hadn't taken her advice. At least she could rely on Dad to do something if those idiots had refused.

They both set down gently just outside of the camp. Xia clambered down from her perch, very gracefully Lisa thought, and Nathan was back in his human form almost from the moment her feet touched the ground. Lisa followed a split second later, and walked with them toward the gathering that was awaiting them.

Xia was holding Nathan's hand again. It made Lisa smile.

Not so much the Chinese officials who noticed immediately.

The Senior Adjudicator, however, noticed but ignored it, only to give Dad and Tad a slight side-eye, which had them both looking quite smug. Phillip and Clint weren't much better, and Daisy was hanging off Skylar's shoulders and making cooing sounds. Skylar was mortified. Merlin was hiding a smile behind his hand.

"You are Zhu Xia Daiyu?" the Adjudicator asked.

"I am, My Lady." Xia sounded nervous, but then who could blame her? She was about to make a decision that was going to affect the rest of her life, and she wasn't nearly ready.

"I am Senior Adjudicator Asha." She was being gentle, which Lisa appreciated.

"May I enquire…what is an…Adjudicator?" Xia stumbled a little over the word, and Lisa couldn't help but notice that she used the Galactic Standard word and hadn't relied on the translator.

"I suppose you could say I'm a sort of judge, one that travels and mediates disputes wherever I'm needed."

"Ah, I understand. Aunt Lisa says there is a dispute over my fate, and that I need to decide what I wish to do."

The Adjudicator, or course, hadn't missed Xia calling Lisa 'aunt'. She seemed to be amused by it.

Of course, the Chinese official who seemed to be the spokesperson of their group objected. "They are already contaminating her against her own people!" he accused.

Xia stared at him. "Are you a dragon as well?" she sounded sceptical. Bless her heart.

"Certainly not!" the man denied.

"Then you are not my people." With that single sentence, Xia dismissed him from notice.

Tad was trying to stifle the laughter, but Dad didn't even bother, nor did Merlin. Phillip was his usual, stone-faced self, but this pale blue eyes were twinkling. Clint and Daisy were snorting in their own attempt to hide their reaction, and Skylar slapped his sister's palm when she held it up.

"Ms Zhu," Asha began again, once the hilarity – and the anger from the strangers – ended, "I know you've only been awake for a short time, but you're now being asked to make a decision that will affect your future."

Xia was doing her best to hide her discomfiture. She stood up straight, meeting Asha's eyes even though she was blushing shyly. "I understand."

"I am going to ask the Chinese government to speak first."

Apparently, they hadn't volunteered names since Lisa had left, or else the Adjudicator was ignoring it and not giving them the satisfaction of politeness. Lisa got the distinct impression that the Senior Adjudicator was doing this for show, that perhaps she had an idea where this might go. That wouldn't surprise her; she'd seen her brother, Alun, make such leaps when it came to arbitrating a dispute, and he'd been inevitably correct.

The man who was ostensibly in charge took a step forward, after giving Liao a death glare that had Lisa stifling a smile behind her hand. She'd been wondering what had precipitated their arrival: Professor Kong and her impulsive need to get her hands on Xia's hoard; or Liao and his impossible claims of ownership based on the chipped off section of antler that his family had taken while Xia had been sleeping, and now she thought it might have been a combination of both, with Liao being the tipping point with his so-called magical key.

"We have much to offer you," the man began. Lisa couldn't help but notice that he didn't address Xia by any parts of her name. How rude. "We can offer you safety, and security, and a place where you can live without need or care. You will be prized and cherished and want for nothing. You are a symbol to us, and would be treated as the treasure that you are."

Xia had a lost look in her eyes. "That is very much like my life in the Imperial Palace. The Hongzhi Emperor told me that I was important, and gave me anything that I wanted. I did not have a care in the world."

Lisa's heart broke a little for her. Xia had been sheltered and pampered and it hadn't been any sort of way to live. Just from the very short time she'd known her, Xia had proven to have a sharp intelligence, and although she was obviously suffering from having lost all that she'd known, and it would take a lot of time for her to heal. Lisa could tell that if given the chance, Xia would prosper. The worst-case scenario she'd given the Adjudicator had only been because Asha has asked for it. Lisa honestly didn't think that it would apply to the strong, brave dragon who was standing at her nephew's side, his hand still clasped in hers.

Xia had been through so much. And yet, there was she, damaged and hurting but standing up for herself.

Still, there was the very real chance that she might want the old life that she'd had. Even though that life had led to being betrayed and magically entombed underground for so very long.

Every single person under that canopy was watching Xia, and yet she didn't seem to notice. The government stooge was looking smug as he took a step back, as if he was positive of the outcome.

"And who will speak for the Jones clan?" Asha enquired.

For a moment, no one spoke.

But then…

"I will."


	15. Chapter 15

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Fifteen  


Author: Milady Dragon

Author's Note: The penultimate chapter!

* * *

 ** _11 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Yanshan Mountains, China_**

 ** _Badaling Section of the Great Wall_**

Nathan's palms were sweating, but he didn't think Xia noticed, because hers seemed to be doing the same thing.

He didn't have any idea what had possessed him to speak up, to volunteer to give any sort of offer to Xia. But his grandparents were looking at him with such pride, and his Dads…he'd never seen such expressions on their faces: there was the same pride that Granddad and Grandtad wore, but such love and support and everything Nathan needed to take that step, to turn to the young, traumatised dragon that he wanted more than anything to spend his eternity with.

He'd told Xia that he could love her. He'd lied, because he already did, even after only knowing her for barely a day. Meeting her had been like finding the other half of his soul, and now he knew exactly how his Dads felt, and why they acted the way they did around each other.

He hadn't really believed them when they'd said on so many occasions that he would understand when he found his own mate. He'd scoffed at that very notion, simply thinking they were being ridiculous.

Oh, how right they'd been.

And this was only after mere _hours_ of knowing Xia. What would be like after decades? Centuries? Millennia? Even longer?

Nathan knew he'd go with her, whatever she decided to do.

But first, he had to make his plea to her.

Surreptitiously, Nathan wiped his free palm on his trousers, then reached out to take Xia's other hand. Her green eyes looking up into his, and for a few moments he just stood there and let himself drown in them.

Movement in the corner of his eye brought him back to the here and now.

"Xia," he murmured, "I could offer you some of the same things they did. But, honestly, I don't think you want that." He blushed a little. "Well, some of it, I'm sure you do. But these people can only do all of that at the expense of your freedom, because the universe is dangerous and chaotic and there's such evil and darkness out there. But there's also good, and light, and so much to see I can't even begin to describe it to you, and I've only experienced just a little of it."

Nathan took a deep breath. This sort of thing wasn't something he was comfortable with, but for her he'd put everything out there he could. "I want to be able to show you what's out there, if that's what you want. But I want to _really_ offer you your freedom. And I want to walk with you on whatever road you choose. And I want to give you the stars."

There were tears in her eyes. For a moment, Nathan thought she was upset with him, and his heart felt like it was breaking.

But then, a blindingly happy smile spread across her face.

And she began to sing.

It was the Song of Commitment.

If Nathan had thought he'd been happy anytime previously in his life, it was nothing compared to hearing Xia sing to him.

To _him_.

This was what being deliriously happy felt like.

Without even thinking about it, Nathan joined in. He'd never, _ever_ , done this sort of thing before. The Song of Commitment meant that they were committing to each other, no matter what, a Pact between potential mates that, one day, they would sing the Mating Song and perform the Flight together. He'd always thought he'd find his mate so much later in life, if at all, not when he wasn't even two hundred and fifty yet. This was surreal and unexpected and much more special for all of that.

A steady hum rose around them as they sang, Nathan recognising his family backing up their song and yet not overpowering it, acknowledging what he and Xia had known from the moment their eyes had met. Yes, he hadn't realised that they were mates right away, but in his soul, he'd known.

His Dads were going to be so smug over this.

Nathan was fine with that.

Their duet gradually ended, fading away on the wind that seemed to perpetually blow across the mountains around them. In the sudden silence, Nathan simply drank in Xia's features, wanting to memorise this moment forever.

The silence was broken by laugher, and Nicole was hugging both of them, her eyes glittering with happiness and weeping tears of joy. "I'm so glad," she sniffled, stepping away from them enough to meet their eyes. "Welcome to the family, Xia."

"I believe," Nathan's mate said softly, "I already belonged."

"You did," Clint had his arms around them from the opposite of Nicole, and he was also crying. The last time Nathan had seen his Dad cry had been at his Aunt Sabrina's funeral, but for a different reason. "You're ours now, Xia. And we're yours."

"He's absolutely right," Nathan's other Dad agreed. He rested a chilly hand on Nathan's shoulders, while leaning around Clint to press a kiss to Xia's temple. "We're your fathers now, and we'll always do our best for you both."

Daisy and Skylar joined the hug party, and for the first time in his short life Nathan felt complete. He hadn't realised it until just now that he'd been missing something, and that something was Xia.

His mate.

It was official.

He was never going to be alone again. Neither was she. Which was an _amazing_ sensation.

"I protest!" he heard that crazy Chinese man shout.

"Protest denied," the pleased voice of Senior Adjudicator Asha proclaimed. "I don't think you ever had a chance, really."

Nathan then ignored them all, content to bask in the love of his family. His grandparents, Aunt Lisa, Merlin, and Carys were standing around them, not a part of the massive group hug but still very much a part of _them_. Grandtad mouthed, _long courtship,_ at him, and Nathan couldn't help but laugh.

They really had all the time in the world.

It was a really exciting notion. Nathan knew he'd never get used to it.

But that wasn't a bad thing.

Not at all.


	16. Chapter 16

The Onyx Empress - Chapter Sixteen (Complete)

Author: Milady Dragon

Author's Note: And here we are, at the end. Thanks for reading! Next up, we head back into the past (or the near present, as it were), for "Exchange Programme", a SHIELD-centric story that follows Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz as they become the first of SHIELD's participants in the SHIELD/Torchwood exchange programme. See you next Tuesday!

* * *

 ** _30 June 5310 (Earth Standard Date)_**

 ** _Ddraig Llyn_**

Xia loved Ddraig Llyn.

It was _home_ , now.

But then, anywhere Nathan was, was home.

Here, though, she had a real family, one that had accepted her and who was determined to help her learn everything that she could about the outside universe.

The dragon had settled in nicely, although the magic – or technology, she was told – that had gotten her here from China had been confusing to her and no one would really explain it yet. They'd put this strange mat thing down in front of her, told her to step onto it…she'd been in China one moment…and here, the next. It had been exhilarating and frightening and it had made her upset to her stomach for a short time after her arrival. _Zǔfù_ Ianto had made her soup and she'd felt better, and he'd kindly explained that she would get used to the sensation at some point. She'd believed him, even if she was still waiting to know how it worked.

The valley was different from her home in Beijing, and yet it was the same. It had the same sense of age and power, and it was clean and she was free to fly wherever she wished. Lisa had cautioned her about travelling outside of its confines until she knew more about the world she'd found herself in, but she'd told her new _vūmā_ that she really hadn't wanted to. Xia knew herself, knew it would be a while before she was ready to face the rest of the world.

There were trees and mountains, and the lake was clear and cold, and perfect to swim in. Xia had loved to swim when she was younger, but once her parents had been murdered and she'd been taken in by the Emperor she'd given it up, having been told it was beneath her dignity.

Here, she could swim to her hearts' content.

The houses were different, but a good sort of different. Her new _jiātíng_ apparently lived somewhere else that Xia couldn't go to yet, and so they'd all moved to the valley for the time being, in a house that had been built on the slope of one of the mountains. _Fùqīn_ Phillip worked away from Ddraig Llyn, and would often be gone long hours, but she had _Fùqīn_ Clint, as well as Daisy and Skylar, and Xia would bask in their attention and love every time they were together. _Zǔfù_ Jack and _Zǔfù_ Ianto would often visit, as well, and Xia would find herself in their great house nearly every day.

However, it was Nathan that Xia's thoughts would often fly to.

She could see him now, from her perch upon the tallest mountain in the valley, flying gracefully over the placid waters of the lake as he dodged his _biǎo xiōngdì_ , Dylan and Dilys, both brilliant green and gold, laughing as they played a game of tag together.

She and Nathan were so very young. Him acting so carefree with them was proof of that.

If Xia was honest, she wasn't ready for Nathan to grow up. She, herself, wasn't ready to grow up, either, now that she had a chance to finally be the child she'd had to give up being, before the cavern. She thought about her pearl, placed lovingly within the hoard her _Fùqīn_ Phillip had arranged to have moved from the cavern and resting within the house she was now sharing with the Coulson-Joneses. It held the memories of her parents, and their time together, and she would always cherish it.

She liked to think her old _jiātíng_ would have approved of her new one.

As she watched, _Zǔfù_ Jack joined the play over the lake, his larger blue-grey form plummeting through the game of tag and slamming into the water, sending up a spray that caught both Dylan and Dilys by surprise. Nathan, though, had seemed to have expected it, and had gained a little altitude and therefore had missed getting wet.

"Are you alright?"

Xia twisted her long neck around, to see _Fùqīn_ Phillip walking up the path. She smiled, pleased to see him. "We had not expected you back so soon."

"My business wrapped up early." His voice was full of affection, and Xia found her own heart full.

Everyone not a dragon had taken to wearing a translator, so that Xia could spend time in her dragon form. Yes, she could not understand the others when they were dragons unless they sang, but she was fine with that. There were universal ways of communicating, and Xia had found herself figuring things out as circumstances presented themselves.

She would begin her lessons in what was called Galactic Standard next week. Xia was looking forward to it.

A shout came from the game out over the lake. _Fùqīn_ Clint had joined the game, as had Daisy and Skylar. They looked as if they were having so much fun, and Xia yearned to join in their play.

"You know you'd be welcome," Phillip said, as if reading her mind.

He really hadn't, but in the short time she'd been there Xia had come to learn that her new _Fùqīn_ had a way of reading people fairly accurately.

"I know. Perhaps I shall…in a little while."

 _Fùqīn_ Phillip stood beside her, close enough that she could feel his slight chilliness. "There are times when I wished I had a dragon form," he admitted as more and more of the clan joined in on the game. "But then, they'd expect me to play with them, and I find that's a little beneath my dignity."

Xia snorted laughter at that. He was indeed quite dignified, but Xia had had a chance to see him comfortable and relaxed at home, and knew that this was just a persona he put on for his work with Torchwood.

"Go on," he urged. "You deserve to play, after everything you've been through."

She really, _really_ wanted to. "May I ask a question of you, first?"

He gave her an encouraging smile. "You can ask me anything, sweetheart, and if I can answer, I will."

She thought that might be his response. Xia knew that there were things he couldn't talk about, like his work; but then there were things he _wouldn't_ talk about, if he thought they would somehow set back her progress with learning this new century.

"If, once I have learned all about this time and have assimilated, I decided to leave…would I be able to?"

It had been preying on her mind of late, even though everyone had assured her what she did would be her decision. Now that she was officially committed to Nathan, her new family might not want her to move away from the valley. Certainly, she'd noticed that many of the Joneses lived away from Ddraig Llyn, but was she an exception? She shouldn't worry, she knew that, but she still had to ask, especially after what had happened to her before, with the Emperor.

 _Fùqīn_ Phillip's pale blue eyes grew sad. "We would certainly miss you, but you'd be welcome to go wherever you wanted. I'm only sorry we've somehow made you feel that we wouldn't let you go if you chose to"

She hastily assured him that wasn't the case at all, and he looked a little happier for her reassurance.

"I can understand. This is all new to you, and given your past experience, perhaps I should have been more surprised if you _hadn't_ asked about it."

She was certainly glad he realised that she'd meant to offence. There was just one more thing she wanted to enquire about. "And if I was to take Nathan with me?"

That made him laugh. "Xia, I don't think you need to _take_ Nathan anywhere. The bigger battle would be to get him to stay behind."

"And this does not bother you? That I would take your son from you?" She couldn't help but wonder; they really had all been so kind to her, that it almost felt as if she was repudiating that kindness.

The human who had accepted her wholeheartedly stood tall in front of her, not losing eye contact, sincerity glowing in his pale eyes like his magic deep within them. "Nathan is his own man. He's been travelling for longer than Clint and I have been mates. This is just something he _does_. It's really just a matter of _when_ the two of you go and make your lives together somewhere else, not _if_. In fact, he's already preparing for when that _does_ happen. He meant it when he said he wanted to show you the stars, Xia. That he wanted to give you your freedom. And, I'll be honest with you… I think it's going to happen a lot sooner than Lisa is anticipating. I think a combination of his natural wanderlust and your curiosity are going to send the pair of you out into the universe, and that you'll be your happiest out there until you're finally ready to settle down."

"You sound so certain."

"Well," he shrugged, "I like to think I'm a good judge of people. And that's how I judge you two." He smiled sweetly. "Now, go and join the others. I'll get dinner started."

Xia leaned down, the better to touch her cheek to his. "I do love you, _Fùqīn._ "

Phillip rubbed his face against her scales. "And I, you." His lips pressed against her snout in the human form of affection. It tickled a little, but she liked it very much.

He stepped back. "Go on with you. Have them all in for dinner in an hour."

Xia laughed. "I shall do my best."

"That's all we can hope for."

With a bright laugh and a flex of her flight magic, Zhu Xia Daiyu – Xia Coulson-Jones – took to the air to join her new family in their playtime.

She was free.

Nathan had given her this.

And she would be with him for all of their eternity.

 _Fin_

* * *

Notes on the Chinese in this chapter (thank Google Translate for any mistakes):

 _Zǔfù_ \- Grandfather

 _Jiātíng_ \- Family

 _Fùqīn_ \- Father

 _Biǎo xiōngdì_ \- cousins


End file.
